More Wars Than One
by August08
Summary: In a world wrought with chaos and war, Mikey and his team are sent to recruit new members for the High Council's army. However, Mikey finds himself in a world he thought only existed in his dreams, and discovers three others just like him whom he believed were only figments of his imagination. Now he must decide what is real and true, before he himself is consumed by chaos.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: So while I'm trying to work the wrench out of the gears that are failing to turn for Caged, I got inspired by another plot bunny and it would not leave me alone until I wrote it down. This is not an AU, but it does start out on a different planet; that will be explained later on. Anyway, that's it except to say I hope you all enjoy the story.

**Disclaimer**: I own nothing related to the Turtles, I only own the OCs.

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War. It's all I've ever known. It's what I was born for; what all of us were born for. We were meant to live as warriors and to die as warriors. Our lives were predetermined before we even drew our first breaths. We were born to fight to bring peace back to our home world, Xarus. We, my team and me, were brought into the Council's army when we were of age to be recruited. We were trained in many different fighting styles, from using guns to martial arts to keep our bodies strong. There are many teams in the Council's army, but we're the strangest out of all of them.

There's Ausk, a beast of a man with tough skin and an even tougher attitude. Orion, a humanoid feline that can take down an entire sector of rebels by himself without a scratch. And then there's Zian. Beautiful, talented...but hard. War has done much to crush her spirit and mold it into something terrifying. She has more blood on her hands than me, Ausk and Orion combined.

"Yo, boss!" Orion yells in my ear. "Wake up and smell the plasma. We've got rebels at twelve o'clock!"

I blink back to reality as my thoughts return to the battle around me. When did I drift off into my own world and why? Whatever the reason, it's gone now. Ausk and Zian are nowhere in sight, but I can hear Zian's battle cries off in the distance over the sound of gun fire and grenade explosions. I look over the top of the block of concrete me and Orion are hiding behind, the wind catching the tails of my orange mask. The mask has seen me through many bloody battles. It's old and dirty, the fabric torn in some places around the edges. It covers my eyes and the top of my head. I really should wash it sometime, but what would be the point? It would only get dirty again.

My eyes scan the building across the street. There's a blur of a hulking mass of muscle and dark blue hair through the windows and I know Ausk is inside. Zian probably isn't too far behind him. I lift up my plasma rifle and look through the scope. I see a rebel on an upper floor and I take the shot. The man crumples to the floor just as Ausk and Zian reach the top of the stairs. They glance down at the body before Ausk looks out the top floor window and, through the scope, I can see him giving me the thumbs up.

"T-minus eight minutes before evac gets here," Orion tells me.

"We'll be done in three," I reply.

Orion looks over the short wall and I hear a pistol firing. I glance away from the scope to see a rebel soldier fall to the ground. I can hear the smugness in the cat's voice when he speaks.

"Honestly, you'd be dead without me," Orion says. "How did you manage to survive before we were teamed up?"

"Quite well, actually," I answer as I take down two more rebels inside the building where Ausk and Zian are.

The orange and white tabby rolls his eyes as he checks his pistol. He reminds me of another cat I used to know, or used to dream of. But he wasn't a humanoid. He was smaller, walked on all fours and was unable to speak. Strangely enough, Orion looks almost identical to the cat in my dreams. Right down to the white around his paws, nose and the tip of his tail. Maybe it's just a coincidence.

"Building's clear," Ausk's voice sounds in the headset I'm wearing.

"Rebels have been eradicated," Zian's voice comes afterwards.

I look over at Orion. Without prompting, he checks his watch. His golden eyes drift up to mine and I can see the annoyance on his face. A smirk plays with the corners of my mouth and I fight to keep from smiling as he says,

"Three minutes, exactly."

I can't help but smile. "Okay, guys, let's pack it up. Evac should be getting here soon," I tell the others.

"Ten four," Ausk says.

"Copy that," Zian replies.

I turn the safety back on the rifle and I stand up. Orion is right behind me as I make my way towards the building on the other side of the street. Ausk and Zian appear in the doorway as me and Orion head across the rubble covered street. We meet up in the middle.

"Another successful mission," Ausk says, his deep voice booming too loudly in the now quiet night.

"Don't get too cocky," Zian advises. "We've been lucky, so far."

Orion smirks. "Come on, we're the unstoppable foursome," he says. "We've never been beaten."

"Yet," Zian adds matter-of-factly.

I pat her shoulder, feeling the diamond hard and silky smooth touch of her alabaster skin. Her brown sleeveless shirt shows off more skin than what is necessary for the battlefield. But then again, so does the rest of our attire. We all wear the same dark brown sleeveless shirt and camouflage pants that are tucked into heavy black combat boots. I look from one teammate to another.

Ausk's dark blue hair is cut short in a military style, his dark skin gleaming with sweat. Orion's orange fur is matted in some places, but it's nothing a little grooming can't fix. Zian's sun bleached blonde hair is tied back in a long, tight braid that falls down her back. Her crystal blue eyes are cold and distant; always searching for something. Peace, maybe?

The roar of a helicopter brings me out of my thoughts. A spotlight shines down on our group and a rope ladder falls from the hovering machine. Zian's the first one up, then it's Ausk, then Orion with me taking the rear. I always make sure my team is up safely first before I ascend. I take the empty seat beside Zian in the copter and the ladder is pulled back inside. The copter veers off in the direction of the looming edifice of the Council Tower. A glowing structure that pierces even the most darkest of nights. It's our guiding light, our sanctuary. After every mission we must report to the High Council and give an account of our actions, whether good or bad. All teams must report in after a mission.

As the copter slowly makes its way over the ruined city that is our home, I think back on the mission and reflect on what happened. We had been sent in to destroy a small faction of rebels. There had been ten of them and only four of us. I frown as I try to determine how we had been able to beat those odds. The only thing I can think of is that we worked so well as a team and that had led to our victory. I have to stop myself from thinking like Orion; thinking that nothing can stop us, that we're invincible. Instead I take Zian's advice and tell myself that I shouldn't get cocky. Our good fortune in battle will eventually run out and when that happens we have to be ready to face the worst.

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Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	2. Chapter 2

High Councilman Zai looked down at the four kneeling soldiers in front of him as Michelangelo gave an account of what happened during their latest fight. He listened intently, secretly relishing in the information that more rebels had been disposed of. Zai knew he was looking at the greatest fighting team ever to be assembled. Michelangelo had grown into a great leader and warrior, and it showed. His teammates respected and looked up to him for guidance and wisdom. Though he was still young, Michelangelo was wise beyond his years. Of course, he had to be in order to survive the trials set before him by the council.

Zai nodded as Michelangelo finished recounting the mission. "Excellent work. All of you. We had high hopes for you four and you have not disappointed us."

"Thank you, High Councilman," Michelangelo said, speaking for his team.

"You have earned your rest. You are dismissed," Zai said.

The four friends bowed and got to their feet, heading for the door. The large room echoed as the heavy wooden door slammed shut behind the comrades.

"You didn't tell them?" a councilwoman asked.

Zai turned to face the other four members of the council. "Why spoil their good day?" he replied with another question.

"They are one of few remaining teams," a councilman said.

"We must replenish our dwindling supply of fighters before the rebels gain too much ground," another spoke up.

Zai raised his hands. "Brothers, relax. We have plenty of time. Thanks to Michelangelo and his team the rebels will think twice before advancing." He lowered his hands and became thoughtful. "However, you do raise a valid point. We must recruit more soldiers; show the rebels that we have the superior fighting force and that they have no chance of winning this war."

"So, what do you propose we do?" the third councilman asked.

Zai turned to look over his shoulder at the door. "Let the children rest. Soon we will send them on a recruitment mission."

* * *

"Ah yeah!" Orion whooped as the team walked out of the Council Tower and towards the bunker. "A couple days off is just what the doctor ordered."

"Just because we were praised for our efforts and dismissed with the High Councilman's good graces does not mean we have an extended period of rest," Zian said, her voice sharp.

Orion's ears flattened against his head. "Girl, you seriously need to relax," he grumbled.

"No, Zian's right," Michelangelo said. "We have to be prepared to be called upon at a moment's notice, even if we did just get back from a mission."

Orion shook his head and put his hands over his ears. "Dudes, way to kill the good vibe."

Ausk laughed. "Don't worry, little one. I'm sure the High Councilman will grant us at least one day of rest and relaxation."

Orion glared up at the man mountain. "I told you never to call me 'little one'," he scolded.

"It's fitting," Zian commented. "You _are_ the smallest of the four of us."

"By an inch," Orion pointed out, stressing the word "inch".

Michelangelo patted the cat's shoulder. "Look on the bright side. At least people have stopped calling you 'kitten'."

Orion hissed low in his throat as his ears flattened against his head again. "I told you never to bring that up," he snarled, pointing a clawed finger at his friend.

Zian smirked. "Kitten?" she echoed. "Even more fitting."

Orion's golden eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. However, his anger was short lived and he shrieked in surprise when Ausk scooped him up and began rubbing behind his ears.

"Stop it!" Orion yelled, trying to break free of the man's grasp. "Let me go!"

"Not until you calm down," Ausk said.

Orion shook his head as he tried to dislodge the massive hand on his head. However, he was quickly losing the fight and he succumbed to the warm pleasure that was washing over his head as Ausk continued to rub behind his ears.

"Curse you," Orion grumbled as he allowed his body to go limp under Ausk's arm.

Ausk set Orion back on his feet and patted the top of his head. Orion looked up to see Michelangelo and Zian grinning at him.

"Shut up," the cat grumbled as he turned and stalked back to the bunker.

Michelangelo looked up at Ausk. "Thanks, Ausk," he said.

Ausk smiled. "Works every time," the man chuckled.

Michelangelo followed Orion to the bunker with Zian and Ausk close behind him. When they reached the bunker, the friends split up in two different directions; Michelangelo, Ausk and Orion heading towards the men's dorms while Zian headed towards the women's. Orion headed straight for his bed and fell down on to the stiff mattress, the springs in the bed squeaking under his weight.

"I'm beat," Orion moaned tiredly. "Wake me up two days from now."

Michelangelo sat down on his bed next to Orion's and started to untie his boots. "Hopefully we'll be able to catch more than just a couple hours sleep this time," he said as he pulled off the boots and socks.

Michelangelo wiggled his toes and sighed in relief. It felt good to have his feet free of the footwear. Michelangelo swung his legs on to the bed and stretched out, wincing as he heard some bones crack.

"You should get that checked out," Orion mumbled with his face half buried in his pillow after hearing the crack.

"It's nothing," Michelangelo replied.

"Say that when your shell falls off," Orion dared him.

Ausk walked over to them and placed a hand on Orion's back and Michelangelo's chest. "Hush, children. Sleep. Tomorrow is a new day. Let the calming waves of sleep take you far away from this chaos and bring you to your own peaceful world," he said in a low, soothing voice.

Within seconds, soft snores filled the dorm. Ausk smiled as he lifted his hand from Orion's back. His eyes drifted to Michelangelo's face. He saw concern and worry etched into his friend's features.

"Reclaim your dreams from the darkness that plagues you, my friend," Ausk spoke gently to the troubled turtle. "They are nothing more than projections of your imagination."

Michelangelo opened his eyes and looked up at Ausk. "Then my imagination is pretty screwed up," he whispered so that he wouldn't wake Orion.

Ausk reached up and placed his hand over Michelangelo's eyes. "Figments," he said in a hushed voice. "They cannot hurt you."

"No," Michelangelo agreed sleepily. "But something much worse can."

"Not tonight," Ausk told him. "Not under the watchful eye of the council. You are safe here, Michelangelo."

Something wet slid across Ausk's palm and he realized that Michelangelo was crying.

"Dear, child. What is it?" Ausk asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Why me?" Michelangelo sobbed. "Why was I the only one that got out?"

"Ah," Ausk said in understanding. "Thinking of your family again?"

Michelangelo reached up and removed his friend's hand from his eyes, looking up into the dark orbs of the older man's eyes. "Am I doing the right thing?" he asked. "Taking another person's life isn't going to bring my brothers back."

"No," Ausk agreed. "But you are bringing the ones who took your brother's lives to justice."

"But is it justice?" Michelangelo questioned. "Shouldn't they stand trial for their crimes?"

"These are questions best left for a clear and focused mind," Ausk said. "A mind clouded by fatigue and exhaustion is unreliable and chaotic. Sleep. Regain your energy, and in the morning we will discuss things further."

Michelangelo nodded and turned away as Ausk stood up and walked over to the other side of the room where his bed was located. Ausk turned to see Michelangelo curl into a ball and sighed. Every night was the same, especially nights after a mission. Michelangelo did his best to hide his pain and sadness from the others, but Ausk knew differently. Michelangelo had a different reason to fight in the council's army.

Before he was drafted, rebels had attacked Michelangelo's home, setting it ablaze and leaving everyone inside for dead. Despite his best efforts, Michelangelo couldn't save the lives of his parents and three brothers. Zai had found the teen huddled against a tree near the burned out husk of his home. The High Councilman had taken Michelangelo in and gave him a reason to keep going. Fight to bring the ones who took his family away from him to justice. Eventually he would find the ones who burned down his home.

"Sleep well, my friend," Ausk whispered. "May the guardians of sleep fill your mind with peace and happiness."


	3. Chapter 3

_He was in the sprawling city again. The lights, the sounds, they assaulted his eyes and ears, making him dizzy and disoriented. He was standing in the middle of the city square. Large buildings with giant monitors built into them were all around him. Vehicles and pedestrians passed by, but no one saw him. Michelangelo looked around, trying to find something that was familiar; but nothing was. He didn't know where he was or why he was back here. Then, out of the corner of his eye, Michelangelo caught sight of something. Three shadows on the roof of one of the buildings. Michelangelo headed into a nearby alley and found a fire escape. He climbed the ladders to the top of the building and glanced over the side of the roof._

_The shadows were standing a few feet away. Michelangelo quickly and quietly pulled himself on to the roof and ducked for cover. The shadows remained still and silent. Michelangelo slipped out of hiding and crept towards the shadows. He was closer now, but he still couldn't make out any distinguishing features or any voices. At that moment, a helicopter flew overhead and the spotlight from the copter illuminated the three figures. Michelangelo stopped short. They were turtles, like him, and each wore a different colored mask. One wore blue, one had red and the third wore purple. They were looking at him with sad expressions._

_"Who are you?" Michelangelo asked._

_"Mikey," the purple masked turtle whispered in quiet anguish._

_"It's time to come home," Blue said._

Michelangelo's eyes snapped open. His breaths came out in short, quick gasps. He pushed himself up on an elbow and looked around. The dorm was filled with other men. The room was still dark, telling Michelangelo that he was awake before the sun was up. He sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed, his feet touching the cold concrete floor. He pulled a drawer open in the small clothing chest between his bed and Orion's and pulled out a clean pair of socks. As quickly and quietly as he could, Michelangelo pulled on the socks and his boots and headed outside. The early morning air chilled him, but Michelangelo didn't mind; it helped to wake him up and clear his mind of the memory of the dream.

"They're only figments," Michelangelo muttered to himself as he rubbed the rest of the sleep out of his eyes.

"What are only figments?" came a female voice from behind him.

Michelangelo turned around to find Zian walking up to him. She looked just as sharp and fresh as when he last saw her the night before. Her hair was pulled back in the ever present braid and her blue eyes were alert and focused. Michelangelo looked away, unable to hold her piercing gaze. It was as if she could see into the deepest depths of his soul if he looked into her eyes for too long.

"Is it the dream again?" Zian asked knowingly.

Michelangelo nodded. "I keep seeing these three shadows. And when I finally see their faces, I find myself looking at creatures just like me." He wrapped his arms around himself. "One of them speaks my name and another tells me that it's time to come home."

"But, you are home," Zian pointed out.

"I know I am," Michelangelo said. "But these other turtles...they make it sound like I'm not."

Zian stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "They are only illusions. Your mind playing tricks on you."

Michelangelo reached up and rubbed his face. "I feel like I'm losing it."

"You're stressed and tired," Zian told him. "Ever since you were recruited you have been placed under higher expectations than the rest of us. You were given responsibilities too great too soon. You weren't ready for the responsibility of your own team."

Michelangelo lowered his hands and sighed. He looked over at Zian, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "But I wouldn't change it for anything," he said. "I was given three of the best people a guy could ask for as his teammates."

Zian lowered her hand and smiled slightly, looking away as a light blush touched her otherwise pale cheeks. "You're the best leader a team could ask for," she mumbled softly.

"You guys are weird," a tired voice sounded.

Zian and Michelangelo turned to see Ausk and Orion walking up. Orion looked as though he had been pulled out of bed. His fur was sticking off in all directions and his eyes were crusted with dried tears. Orion put a hand over his mouth to hide a yawn.

"How can you stand being up so early?" the cat asked tiredly. "Aren't we supposed to have the day off today?"

"Couldn't sleep," Michelangelo and Zian replied in unison.

They looked at each other as Orion began to grin.

"It's so cute how you two do that," he commented.

Zian glared at him, causing Orion to shrink back behind Ausk. Michelangelo chuckled. He looked up at Ausk.

"So, what are you two doing up?" the turtle asked.

"I awoke and found your bed empty. Naturally I assumed you had had the dream again," Ausk explained.

"And he thought it would be a good idea to wake me up, as well," Orion said from his hiding place. He poked his head around Ausk. "Don't get me wrong, boss, you're awesome and I love you like any good teammate should, but a cat needs his rest."

"No rest for the wicked," Zian stated.

Orion sniffed. "You mean 'no rest for the righteous'," he corrected her.

Zian looked thoughtful for a moment. "No, I meant wicked...for you, at least."

Orion gave her a blank look. "You really don't like cats, do you?" he asked.

Zian shrugged. "I'm more of a dog person."

Orion smirked. "No, you're more of a turtle person," he said.

Ausk stepped to the side as Zian shot forward. Orion shrieked and took off with Zian right behind him. Michelangelo and Ausk burst out laughing as they watched their teammates run around the yard. Zian eventually caught up with Orion and tackled him to the ground.

"Should we break them up?" Michelangelo asked.

"A fight among friends is good every now and then," Ausk replied. "It means it's a healthy relationship."

"Not fighting is healthy, too," Michelangelo pointed out. He became thoughtful for a moment. He looked up at Ausk. "What did Orion mean when he said Zian was more of a turtle person?"

Ausk smiled but didn't say anything. Michelangelo looked back at Zian and Orion and he started forward to try to break them up when he heard footsteps coming towards them. The commotion instantly died down when High Councilman Zai walked up. Zian released Orion and all four friends bowed.

"You all look like you're having fun," Zai commented. "Please, don't stop on my account."

"By all means, High Councilman, interrupt away," Orion said, earning him a smack from Zian.

Zai chuckled as he regarded each friend in turn, his eyes finally coming to rest on Michelangelo. His expression turned somber and Michelangelo felt his stomach clench in worry.

"Is something wrong?" the turtle asked in concern.

Zai shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that," he assured Michelangelo. "But, I'm afraid I must call on you four again."

The friends snapped to attention. "What's the mission?" Ausk asked.

"Please tell me it doesn't have anything to do with the rebels," Orion pleaded.

"It's not the rebels," Zai told him. "It's the army."

"What about the army?" Michelangelo asked.

Zai took a breath before speaking. "The army has suffered countless losses over the last few months. Able bodied men and women have been killed before they could become soldiers. We must seek out fighters from other worlds to help aid us."

The friends looked at each other in worried realization before turning back to face Zai.

"High Councilman, the portals are not to be used unless it's an extreme emergency," Zian stated.

"And we are in an extreme emergency," Zai answered. "If we don't get help the rebels will overpower us and take over the city."

"Well, that's not gonna happen," Orion said defiantly.

Zai walked up to Michelangelo and looked into the young leader's eyes. "I'm afraid I must ask the impossible of you," he said.

"What is it?" Michelangelo asked hesitantly.

"I must ask you to split up your team. For a short time," Zai replied.

Michelangelo took a deep breath and slowly let it out as he thought about the request. "If it will help the mission," he said.

Zai smiled and nodded. "Thank you." He turned to the others. "If you would all follow me, we will get you ready for transport."

The friends followed their leader to the Council Tower where Zai led them through the halls until they came to a set of large oak doors. Two guards opened the doors and the group walked into the spacious room beyond. A computer terminal stood in the center with several blank doorways lining the walls. Zai motioned for the team to take positions in front of four of the doorways as he made his way to the computer. He loaded coordinates for four different portals.

"When you have found worthy fighters send us a signal and we will come and get you," Zai explained. "But don't take too long. Time is of the essence."

Orion looked at his friends. "Well, guys, see ya when we get back," he said. He leaned over to see around Zian. "And, boss, don't get lost, 'cause I ain't trekkin' through some forsaken jungle to save your sorry shell."

Michelangelo gave him a grin. "Like wise."

The room lit up as four glimmering portals opened up. "Good luck guys," Michelangelo wished his team.

As one, the friends stepped through their own portal and were gone. Michelangelo's ears were instantly assaulted by loud music, car horns and people talking. His nostrils were filled with the stench of smog and car exhaust. Gagging on his own breath, Michelangelo walked out of the alley he was in and looked around. His heart dropped into the pit of his stomach.

He was in the city from his dream.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. Your support is what keeps me writing.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

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"Oh shell," Michelangelo hissed, ducking back into the alley. "This isn't happening. This can't be happening. It was just a dream, a figment, an illusion." He let out a strained yell. "How can it be real?"

He took several deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down. Michelangelo closed his eyes and focused on calming his breathing. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He repeated the exercise several more times until his breathing had returned to normal. Michelangelo opened his eyes and stared at the brick wall in front of him. First he had to find out where he was. Once that was taken care of then he could start looking for recruits. The faster he found recruits, the better.

"Okay, Mikey, chill," Michelangelo told himself. "Find out where you are and then you can start looking for recruits."

"Well, isn't this a surprise?" sounded a rough male voice.

Michelangelo swung around to find several oddly dressed men walk into the alley. He turned to face the men fully.

"Well, you've saved me the trouble of looking for someone," Michelangelo said. "Can any of you tell me where I am?"

One of the men laughed. "What? You got amnesia or somethin', turtle?" he asked.

"I can beat it out of you if that's what you want," Michelangelo offered.

"You're in New York City, Freak," the man said.

Michelangelo's breath hitched as it felt like a red hot poker was shoved through his chest. Never before had he been called "freak". Clearly the people of this city weren't as accepting as people on Xarus. Pushing down the hurt from the comment, Michelangelo slipped into a defensive position. The men chuckled darkly as they advanced on the turtle. Michelangelo noticed a dragon tattoo on one of the human's arm. Upon further inspection, he realized all of the men were wearing the same tattoo.

_So, they're from the same tribe,_ Michelangelo thought. _Let's see if they can fight._

Without warning, Michelangelo sprang for the nearest human. The man cried out in surprise and swung the pipe he had in his hand, but he was too slow. Michelangelo knocked him out cold with one kick to the jaw. That was all the other six needed to spring into action. As one, the men charged. Michelangelo jumped into the air and landed on one of the men's shoulders. He grabbed the man's shirt and threw him over his head. The man collided with another one of his comrades. Michelangelo dropped to the ground as another human swung a bat at his head. Spinning on his hands, Michelangelo swept the man off his feet and delivered a damaging blow to the human's jaw; feeling the bone crack under his fist.

Michelangelo turned to face the remaining three. He moved his hand in a "bring it" gesture and the men charged. Michelangelo wasted no time in bringing them down. He looked around at the humans sprawled out on the ground and let out a disappointed sigh. Clearly these were not the fighters worthy of being in the Council's army.

"You didn't save any for me?" came another male voice.

Michelangelo swung around, raising his fists. In the mouth of the alley stood a tall, muscular man with raven black hair. He pushed a white mask up, revealing deep blue eyes, a crooked nose and thin lips. He had an air of stubbornness and ill-temper about him. He wore a brown sleeveless shirt, blue pants with white stripes running down the sides and blue sneakers. The man's eyes slowly widened and Michelangelo prepared himself for another fight.

"Mikey?" the man asked in a disbelieving tone.

Michelangelo's guard instantly went up. "How do you know my name?" he demanded.

The man walked forward, stepping over the other men still on the ground. "Mikey, it's me. Casey."

"Casey who?" Michelangelo asked.

The man looked hurt at the question. "Jones," he answered. "Casey Jones."

"You haven't answered my question. How do you know my name?" Michelangelo asked again.

"Uh..." Jones trailed off as a look of confusion came over his face. "Ya know what? It's late and you're probably tired. I know a good place where you can rest and chill," Jones eventually said.

Michelangelo frowned slightly. "You're not going to attack me?"

"Why would I attack you?" Jones wanted to know.

_Clearly not the smartest bird in the tree,_ Michelangelo thought. "Never mind. Where is it that you had in mind?" he asked.

Jones motioned of Michelangelo to follow him. He climbed up a fire escape with Michelangelo close behind him.

"Fastest way to get around while avoiding street traffic," Jones explained when they climbed up on the roof.

Michelangelo looked down at the congested road. "I see your point," he said.

"Come on," Jones said.

He took off at a fast run, but Michelangelo was able to keep pace. After a good forty-five minutes, Jones stopped running and began to descend another fire escape. Michelangelo followed close behind him. Jones walked up to an old warehouse that looked like it had been abandoned for years. He pulled up the steel door and allowed Michelangelo to walk in first. When the turtle was in Jones stepped inside and closed the door again.

Michelangelo looked around the warehouse. A dark green van that looked like it had seen better days sat in one corner. In the middle of the room was a trap door. Jones led Michelangelo over to the trap door and in a couple of seconds it opened up and a strange chamber appeared. Michelangelo took a step back as the chamber opened.

"Is this some kind of trap?" he asked.

"This amnesia joke is gettin' old, Mikey," Jones said. "It's just the elevator."

Michelangelo huffed. "What is it with you humans and thinking I have amnesia?"

Jones rolled his eyes. "Just get in," he snapped.

Michelangelo stepped inside the elevator and the door closed. He stumbled a bit when the elevator began to descend. In one quick minute the elevator doors opened again and Michelangelo was led out into a large underground chamber. His heart began to sink as his dreams began to resurface. He put a hand over his mouth to keep from getting sick as he recognized the chamber from his dreams.

"Yo, guys!" Jones called out. "There's someone out here you really need to see!"

"Do you have any idea what time it is?" a rough, deep voice growled from the upper floor.

Michelangelo looked up to see the red masked turtle from his dreams appear. The purple masked one appeared out of a side room, followed by the blue masked turtle.

"It's not possible," Michelangelo and the blue masked turtle said in unison.

"Mikey?!" the purple masked turtle breathed in disbelief.

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Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: I want to thank everyone who has read and reviewed. Your support is so inspiring. Thank you so, so much!

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

It wasn't possible. It couldn't be. But there he was, standing beside Casey by the elevator. Donatello rushed forward, crossing the distance between him and his brother in a split second. Donatello threw his arms around his little brother. Michelangelo tensed, as if taken aback by the sudden embrace. Raphael and Leonardo joined their brothers by the elevator, but while Raphael went to greet Michelangelo, Leonardo hung back; sensing something off about the youngest. Michelangelo seemed as though he was looking at strangers instead of his brothers. Leonardo caught Casey's eye and motioned for the vigilante to follow him. They walked into the dojo, out of earshot from the others.

"Where did you find him?" Leonardo asked.

"Times Square," Casey replied. "He was fightin' some Purple Dragons."

"What happened?" Leonardo questioned, picking up on something in the man's voice.

Casey let out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair nervously. "He fought differently."

"Describe 'differently'," Leonardo said.

"He fought like Raph," Casey answered. "Usually Mikey's pretty tame when he fights, but not this time. He broke at least two of the Dragon's jaws...on purpose. And when I made myself known he was prepared to fight me, as well."

Leonardo frowned. "That doesn't sound like Mikey," he said. "Looking for a fight? That's more Raph's thing."

"And he didn't know who I was," Casey added.

Leonardo looked up at his friend. "What?"

"It's like he's got amnesia or somethin'," Casey said.

Leonardo glanced down at the floor. "So that's why he looks like he's never seen us before," he breathed.

"Leo?" Raphael's voice sounded at the door. "You comin' to say hi?"

"In a minute," Leonardo replied.

Raphael stepped into the dojo and walked over to where Leonardo and Casey were standing. He looked from Casey to his brother.

"What's goin' on?" Raphael asked.

Voices sounded outside the door. A couple seconds later, Donatello appeared. He looked hurt and distraught, like someone had taken his computer and gadgets away from him.

"What happened when you found Mikey?" Donatello asked Casey.

"He was fighting Purple Dragons," Leonardo replied before Casey could speak. "Apparently he can't remember anything."

Donatello's heart plummeted into the pit of his stomach. "Amnesia?" he whispered in horror.

"What is it with you people and thinking I have amnesia?" Michelangelo's voice sounded from outside.

Everyone turned to see Michelangelo standing in the doorway. He looked annoyed beyond words. Michelangelo stepped into the dojo with Splinter following close behind him; ever being the patient and calm one.

"I'm not your brother. This is the first time I've been to your world," Michelangelo explained. "And I still don't know how you know my name."

Splinter stepped up and placed a hand on Michelangelo's shoulder. "I understand why you are upset," he said. "However, losing your patience will not help matters. It was wrong of us to assume you were someone different, and I apologize."

"But, sensei," Donatello started.

Splinter gave his son a pointed look and Donatello backed off. He turned back to Michelangelo. "It is late and you must be tired from your travels. You will feel better after a good night's rest."

Michelangelo's shoulders drooped slightly and a look of exhaustion appeared on his face. "I have been up for a while," he said.

"You may have my room if it would make you feel more comfortable," Splinter offered.

Michelangelo nodded and Splinter led him out of the dojo. Donatello sighed sadly while Raphael ran a hand over his face.

"This is so not fair," Donatello grumbled. "He's Mikey. He's our Mikey."

"Tell him that," Raphael said.

Leonardo looked from one brother to the other. "Guys, we need to treat this carefully," he advised. "We know the truth, but Mikey doesn't. We have to show him the truth."

Raphael and Donatello faced their brother. "How do we do that?" Donatello asked.

Leonardo took a deep breath. "By being his brothers," he answered. "He'll come around. We just have to patient."

* * *

Michelangelo laid in bed staring up at the ceiling. His mind was racing and he couldn't make his thoughts slow down enough for him to get to sleep. Or maybe he was asleep and had been all along and this was just a really bad dream. Michelangelo closed his eyes, willing himself to wake up back in the men's dorm on Xarus.

They were just supposed to be figments of his imagination. How could the turtles be real? The rat was a new development, though. He had only ever dreamt of the three turtles. Michelangelo opened his eyes again and sighed. Maybe this wasn't a dream. Maybe this really was reality.

_What would Ausk say in this situation?_ Michelangelo asked himself. He closed his eyes once more as his mind finally began to wind down. _Sleep. A mind clouded by fatigue and exhaustion is unreliable. Complicated questions are best left for a clear and focused mind._

With that final thought, Michelangelo drifted off into a deep and rare dreamless sleep.

* * *

It was the smell of food that woke Michelangelo from the realm of blissful slumber. He buried his face in his pillow, not wanting to wake up. He cracked an eye open, expecting to be in the men's dorm, but found himself in a strange bedroom. He momentarily forgot where he was, until the previous night's events played through his memory. Michelangelo groaned tiredly, but forced himself to get up nonetheless. He pulled on his clothes and boots and made his way out of the room.

Voices drifted out from the kitchen. Michelangelo headed across the spacious chamber, which he remembered the purple masked turtle calling the lair the night before, and walked up to the kitchen. The turtle brothers were all gathered inside; Red and Blue sitting at the table while Purple did the cooking. Purple looked up from the stove and saw Michelangelo standing in the doorway.

"Morning...uh..."

"Mikey," Michelangelo said. "You can call me Mikey. I don't think I caught your names, though."

Blue gave a short bow. "I'm Leonardo."

"Raphael," Red said.

Purple waved. "Donatello."

"And your...father?" Michelangelo asked. "Is he your father?"

"He's our father and martial arts teacher," Leonardo replied. "His name is Splinter."

Michelangelo nodded. "Shouldn't be too hard to remember," he said.

A strange look washed over Raphael's face before he got up from the table and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Leonardo asked.

"Out," Raphael replied.

"What about breakfast?" Donatello inquired.

"I'll eat when I get back," Raphael told him.

Michelangelo watched Raphael walk over to the elevator and disappear inside. He tapped his fingers together as an awkward silence fell over the kitchen with the sounds of frying bacon the only thing breaking it.

"Hungry?" Donatello asked, trying to dispel the silence.

Michelangelo's stomach growled in response. Both Donatello and Leonardo cracked a smile. Their brother's memory wasn't the same, but his stomach certainly was. Michelangelo meekly walked over to the table and sat down across from Leonardo. Donatello scooped up some bacon and eggs and placed it on three plates. He picked the plates up and went over to the table, laying the dishes down in front of Leonardo and Michelangelo before sitting down with his own. The turtles ate in a more comfortable silence.

"So, what happens after breakfast around here?" Michelangelo asked.

Leonardo took a sip of orange juice. "Morning practice," he answered, before taking another bite out of the scrambled eggs.

Michelangelo tapped his fork against the plate. "Mind if I join you?"

Donatello and Leonardo looked at each other before turning back to face Michelangelo.

"I'm sure sensei wouldn't mind," Leonardo said.

"Should we go find Raphael first?" Michelangelo wanted to know.

Donatello shook his head. "Raph just needs to work some things out. He'll be back when he blows off enough steam," he explained.

"I hope I didn't do something to upset him," Michelangelo mumbled nervously.

"It's just a confusing time for us, right now," Leonardo told him.

"And it's because of me," Michelangelo pointed out.

"It was our mistake for thinking you were someone else," Donatello replied. "And for that, we're sorry."

Michelangelo looked up at the purple masked turtle. Donatello gave him a warm smile and he felt a bit better. The turtles ate the rest of their breakfast in silence and cleaned up the dishes before heading to the dojo. Michelangelo sat against the wall as Leonardo and Donatello took their places in the center of the room where Splinter was waiting for them. Michelangelo was surprised that Splinter didn't ask where Raphael was, as if he already knew that the red masked turtle was no longer in the lair.

The first few minutes of practice was Splinter instructing his sons on the skill they would be learning and demonstrating how to properly execute it. For the next half hour, Michelangelo studied the brothers intently, especially when Splinter instructed them to use what they had learned in a one-on-one sparring match. Michelangelo leaned forward and watched with alert eyes the precision and force with which Leonardo and Donatello executed the moves. His hopes began to rise that maybe he had found the fighters he had been sent to recruit.

Michelangelo's attention was brought to the doorway when he heard footsteps shuffle into the room. Leonardo and Donatello resumed their match, but Splinter's eyes strayed to his ill-tempered son.

"Glad you could join us, Raphael," the rat said.

Raphael bowed, his features and body tight. "Sorry, sensei. Had to clear my head."

Splinter nodded. "Watch your brothers and you may join in later," he instructed.

"Hai, sensei," Raphael said.

His eyes wandered to Michelangelo for a quick second before he moved to the other side of the room and watched the match from there. Michelangelo couldn't help but feel a little bit hurt by Raphael's actions. To keep himself from falling into a depression, Michelangelo went back to observing Leonardo and Donatello. After a while, Splinter tapped his walking stick against the floor and the match ended.

"Excellent work, my sons," Splinter praised. "You may rest."

Leonardo and Donatello turned to face their teacher and bowed before heading over to the wall where Raphael was sitting. Splinter looked from Raphael to Michelangelo.

"Michelangelo, would you care to share with us your skills?" he asked.

Michelangelo was caught off guard by the request. "Uh...sure," he stammered.

Splinter glanced over at Raphael. "Raphael, you may spar against our guest."

Raphael's shoulders slumped but he got to his feet nonetheless. He walked to the middle of the room and faced off against Michelangelo. Splinter tapped his walking stick against the floor and the match started. Michelangelo threw his hands up to shield his face as Raphael attacked him with full force. He could feel anger behind each punch. Michelangelo swung a fist and managed to catch Raphael in the jaw. The red masked turtle grunted and stumbled. That was the opening Michelangelo needed to make some attacks of his own.

Leonardo watched nervously as Michelangelo and Raphael sparred. Casey wasn't kidding when he said Michelangelo fought like Raphael. They were both evenly matched, fighting in a haze of red. Raphael swung his leg at Michelangelo's head, but the younger of the two dropped to the floor before Raphael's foot could hit his head. Spinning on his hands, Michelangelo swept Raphael's feet out from underneath him, toppling the startled turtle to the floor. Before Raphael could get up, Michelangelo placed a foot on his chest.

"Well done, Michelangelo," Splinter said.

Michelangelo removed his foot and held out his hand for Raphael to take. Raphael slapped the hand away and pushed himself to his feet.

"No hard feelings?" Michelangelo asked.

Raphael gave him a deadly glare, but didn't say anything. He stalked out of the dojo and disappeared around the corner and Michelangelo knew he had just crossed a dangerous line.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: And to think I wasn't going to write this story. I wonder what would have happened if I had left it to dwindle and die out? I would have missed out an awesome adventure I can share with everyone. The support has been so inspiring. Thank you so much! Your support is what keeps me writing.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Once again, Michelangelo found himself staring up at a dark ceiling unable to sleep. His mind was racing with the events of the day. Raphael had went above and beyond trying to avoid him all day after practice. As soon as Michelangelo would walk into a room, Raphael would leave. Donatello had told Michelangelo that Raphael was just finding it hard because he, along with Donatello and Leonardo, thought that Michelangelo was their brother and having him around just reminded them of what they had lost.

Giving up on trying to get to sleep, Michelangelo pushed back the blankets and climbed out of bed. He pulled on his clothes and boots and headed out of the bedroom. The lair was silent and dark, save for the light from the dojo and the steady swinging of a chain. Michelangelo walked over to the dojo and peeked around the corner. Raphael was pounding away on his punching bag, completely oblivious to the world around him.

The world had fallen away into a blank, endless void where the only thing that mattered was his knuckles hitting the punching bag. Raphael continuously slammed his knuckles into the hard, sand packed leather bag; the muscles in his arms screaming for a break, but it wouldn't come. The bag rocked on the chain as the punches became more aggressive. Sweat ran down Raphael's face and neck, the skin of his knuckles burning as it began to crack. The void of mindlessness ended and Raphael's mind began to race with questions and confused thoughts.

_Where had Michelangelo been for the last year? Why didn't he remember anything...anyone? Why did he look at everyone like he was seeing ghosts from a nightmare?_

Raphael was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear footsteps pad into the dojo.

"Raphael?" came the innocent voice of his forgetful little brother.

The red masked turtle brought his fist back and slammed it into the punching bag as hard as he could, allowing the pain from his cracked and now bloody knuckles to wash up his arm.

"Is this why you've been avoiding me?" Michelangelo asked, watching the older turtle pound the punching bag.

Raphael didn't answer. He knew it wasn't Michelangelo's fault, but just being in the same room with him now made Raphael's blood boil in anger.

"You're bleeding," Michelangelo noted.

"Am I?" Raphael grunted.

He brought his fist back and was about to send it back into the bag when his hand was stopped in mid-swing. Raphael looked down to see Michelangelo holding his bloody hand.

"You need a break," Michelangelo said.

"I'm fine," Raphael insisted gruffly, trying to pull his hand free of Michelangelo's grasp.

"You're bleeding. That's not fine," Michelangelo told him, keeping a firm grip.

Raphael hated the authoritative tone in his brother's voice. He sounded like Leonardo. Michelangelo took a hold of Raphael's wrist and led him out of the dojo and into the bathroom, turning on the light. He released Raphael's wrist and opened the medicine cabinet to retrieve the first aid kit, remembering Donatello showing him earlier that day after the genius turtle was almost electrocuted from a backfiring gadget. He pulled down the silver box and laid it on top of the sink. Michelangelo looked over his shoulder and waved at Raphael.

"Put your hands on the sink," he instructed.

Begrudgingly, Raphael did as he was told. He placed his hands on the side of the sink as Michelangelo opened the bottle of cleaning alcohol and tipped it upside down, wetting a cotton ball. Raphael winced slightly as Michelangelo began cleaning the gashes in his knuckles, the alcohol burning the torn skin. A look of concern began to creep across Michelangelo's face as he tossed one bloody cotton ball after another into the trash bin.

"You're more careless than Ausk," Michelangelo muttered under his breath as he wiped the last of the blood from Raphael's hands.

"Who's Ausk?" Raphael asked.

Michelangelo tossed the wad of cotton into the trash bin. "One of my teammates and most trusted allies. You remind me a lot of him, actually. Tough, stubborn...but a good heart." He looked up to see a hurt and sad expression on Raphael's face. "Sorry," Michelangelo apologized. "I know you don't want to hear me rambling on about other people."

"It's fine," Raphael mumbled quietly, allowing the pain from the cleaner to replace the pain that radiated from within.

Michelangelo took a nervous breath before speaking again. "Donatello told me that you all thought I was your brother. Is that why you've been avoiding me?"

Raphael looked away, his heart aching. How could he have his little brother back and not have him at the same time?

"Raphael?"

"Yeah," Raphael finally answered. "We lost our little brother a year ago, and having you here..." He swallowed thickly. "It just brings back bad memories."

Michelangelo looked up from what he was doing. "What happened?" he questioned.

Raphael took a deep breath. "He headed out to our friend, April O'Neil's place to get some groceries she had picked up for us. For some strange reason he brought his cat, Klunk with him; which he usually never did. About an hour after he left April called and asked if he had left yet."

Tears glistened in the light and Michelangelo saw Raphael trying very hard to keep them from spilling.

"He never made it," Raphael finished, his voice cracking with emotion.

Michelangelo picked up a roll of bandages and began wrapping up Raphael's hands. "What was his name?" he asked.

Raphael looked down. "Michelangelo," he answered, making the orange masked turtle stop what he was doing. "You look a lot like him. Identical, even. So, you can understand why we were all excited to see you."

"And when you found out I wasn't your brother?" Michelangelo ventured to ask.

Raphael bit his bottom lip as the tears once again threatened to spill. "It was a hard blow," he said.

"I'm sorry," Michelangelo apologized. "If I had known...I wouldn't have come when Casey brought me here."

"He thought the same thing we did," Raphael said.

Michelangelo tied off the bandages and tossed the roll back into the first aid kit. Raphael balled his hands into fists, testing the tightness of the bandages.

"Where'd you learn first aid?" he asked.

"It's part of basic training on Xarus," Michelangelo answered. "You need to know first aid before going out on to the battlefield."

To keep himself from going into a rage at the thought of his carefree brother going into a war zone, Raphael quickly changed the subject. "So, who are these teammates of yours?" he wanted to know.

Michelangelo closed the box and placed it back up in the medicine cabinet. "There's Zian. She's tough, but fair. She can be hard on other people, but I think that's just because she's lost so many good friends in the war against the rebels that she doesn't want to see anyone else get seriously hurt. Then there's Orion. Me and Orion have a silent contest going on to see who's the strangest, mostly because we're the only two humanoid animals in the group. Me being a turtle and him being a cat."

Raphael frowned slightly. "A cat?" he echoed.

Michelangelo nodded. "An orange and white tabby."

"Interestin'," Raphael mumbled under his breath.

"And then there's Ausk. Like I said before, you remind me a bit of him. He's helped me a lot since we met, especially with coming to terms with what happened to my family."

"What happened to your family?" Raphael asked.

Michelangelo hesitated for a moment. "Before I was recruited into the army, a group of rebels attacked my home; setting it on fire. My parents and three brothers were killed."

Raphael swallowed nervously. He hoped beyond hope that maybe not all of his brother's memories were gone. "Your brothers?"

Michelangelo took a deep breath. "Liam, Ralph and Danny," he replied. He looked down at the floor, tears shining in his eyes. "They were my little brothers. I was supposed to protect them and...and I couldn't." Michelangelo looked up at Raphael. "How am I supposed to save total strangers when I couldn't even save those closest to me?"

Raphael felt his heart break. Michelangelo had gone through hell and he hadn't been there to save him from it. "I know how you feel. Believe me, I do. When we lost Mikey not a day went by when I asked myself was there anything I could have done? I should have gone with him when he went to get those groceries."

"But then, you would have been missing, too," Michelangelo pointed out.

"At least then he wouldn't have been alone," Raphael said.

Michelangelo looked away, not knowing what to say. Raphael patted him on the shoulder as he made his way to the door.

"Thanks for patching me up," Raphael said.

"No problem," Michelangelo replied, listening to the footsteps fade away. "Happy to help," he added quietly.

Michelangelo made his way to the door and turned off the light. He walked across the silent lair, glancing over to see Splinter asleep in his armchair. He headed into Splinter's bedroom, closing the door and pulling off his shirt, pants and boots before climbing back into bed. Michelangelo closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep with Raphael's words echoing in his mind.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: I've said it before and I'll say it again: Thank you! I can't say it enough. It's always nerve wrecking when posting a new story because you don't know how it will take with readers. I'm so glad you're all enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

The next day found all four turtles in the dojo getting ready for morning practice. Leonardo was showing Michelangelo the different weapons while Donatello and Raphael were doing their stretches before training. Donatello noticed the neat white bandages around Raphael's hands and a look of annoyance washed over his face. He walked over to his brother and looked down at him. Raphael, who was sitting on the floor bent over one of his legs, glanced up at his purple masked brother. Donatello had his hands on his hips and looked like someone had just messed with one of his inventions.

"What?" Raphael asked.

"What happened to your hands?" Donatello wanted to know.

Raphael looked down at his hands, but didn't say anything.

"You made yourself bleed with that punching bag again, didn't you?" Donatello pressed.

"So what if I did?" Raphael shot back.

Donatello sighed in agitation. "Raph, your hands are going to be permanently scarred if you keep doing that."

Raphael shrugged. "Just more to add to the collection," he stated.

Donatello let his hands fall to his sides as he sighed again, but with less agitation. "Why, Raph? Why do you do it? Do you enjoy causing yourself pain?"

Raphael glanced over to where Michelangelo was standing with Leonardo before looking down at the floor. "Better than the pain that's been plaguing me since Mikey disappeared," he said quietly.

Donatello knelt down in front of his brother. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Raphael looked up at him. "What could you have done, Donnie? You can't fix everything."

A hurt expression crossed Donatello's face, but before he could say anything, Splinter walked into the dojo. The turtles gathered in the middle of the dojo as Splinter took his position in front of them.

"Today you will be sparring in a small competition," Splinter explained. "First it will be Raphael and Michelangelo. Then whoever wins will spar against Leonardo, then the winner of that spar will face Donatello."

The turtles bowed and separated. Leonardo and Donatello made their way to the far wall while Raphael and Michelangelo took up positions facing each other. Splinter walked over to where Leonardo and Donatello were sitting and knelt down next to Leonardo.

"You may begin," Splinter said.

As Raphael and Michelangelo started their sparring, Leonardo noticed the white bandages around Raphael's hands. He frowned slightly.

"What happened to Raph's hands?" Leonardo asked.

"Punching bag," was all Donatello had to say.

Leonardo rubbed his eyes and sighed. "He made himself bleed again, didn't he?"

Donatello nodded. "I don't know what's wrong with him. It's like he enjoys causing himself pain."

"Raphael would much rather feel physical pain than emotional pain," Splinter said. "Physical pain he knows how to handle and control; not so with emotional pain. When Michelangelo disappeared Raphael lost something inside. As we all know, he became more aggressive and angry."

"So much so that I had to restrain him at one point," Donatello put in.

Splinter nodded. "That was because he was experiencing emotional pain and he did not know how to handle it. So, in order to control it, Raphael turned to his punching bag. Which, in a way, was not always the best choice."

"I kept warning him that if he continued to beat his hands bloody he was going to cause permanent damage," Donatello said.

"If Raph was in so much pain, why didn't he come to us?" Leonardo asked, his voice small and hurt.

"When have you ever known Raphael to be open about his feelings?" Splinter asked back. "He only spoke about his feelings through his punching bag. The angrier he was the harder he would punch, until he either collapsed from exhaustion or his hands were so beaten and bloody that he could no longer attack." He closed his eyes and took a breath. "However, he did open up to Michelangelo last night."

Donatello and Leonardo looked over at their father. "He did?" Donatello asked.

"How do you know?" Leonardo added.

Splinter opened his eyes and continued to watch Raphael and Michelangelo spar. "I heard them talking. Michelangelo had walked in on one of Raphael's sessions and was not too happy about it."

Leonardo and Donatello turned back to the sparring match. "So, Mikey was the one who patched Raph up?" Leonardo asked.

"Though his memories have been taken, his care for his brothers was not," Splinter said.

Donatello looked down at the floor. "How do we help Mikey get his memories back?" he wanted to know.

"Show him things that would seem familiar to him," Splinter instructed. "Show him that his brothers are not dead as he believes them to be. Show him that they are alive and well."

There was a grunt and Leonardo, Donatello and Splinter turned to see Raphael standing over a fallen Michelangelo.

"Not bad," Raphael panted.

"Not bad yourself," Michelangelo said.

Raphael held out his hand and Michelangelo took it. Raphael pulled him to his feet.

"You're tough. I just barely beat you," Raphael said.

Michelangelo smirked. "Well, next time you won't."

Raphael returned the smirk with one of his own. "We'll see."

Michelangelo bowed as he backed away. "Challenge accepted," he said.

Leonardo got to his feet and took Michelangelo's place as the orange masked turtle took Leonardo's place between Donatello and Splinter.

"Training is fun," Michelangelo commented as the match between Leonardo and Raphael started. "Thanks for letting me join in."

Splinter smiled. "You are always welcome here. Do not be afraid to make yourself at home."

Michelangelo pulled his knees up to his chest. "This may sound weird, but...I've only been here a few days and I feel like I've known you my whole life. You really know how to make people feel welcome."

Splinter caught the hopeful gleam in Donatello's eyes at Michelangelo's words. A soft smile touched the rat's lips. Donatello became thoughtful for a moment. His eyes lit up as an idea popped into his head.

"You've already met our friend Casey, how would you like to meet our friend, April?" Donatello asked.

Michelangelo looked over at him and a worried look crossed his face. "I don't know," he said.

"It'll be okay. I'll tell her in advance that you're not our Mikey," Donatello replied.

Michelangelo thought about the request for a minute before nodding. "Sure," he answered.

A pained yell echoed through the dojo and everyone turned to see Raphael collapsing to the ground, his arms wrapped around his stomach.

"You've got to stop leaving yourself open," Leonardo told him.

"Shut up, teacher's pet," Raphael growled.

He pushed himself to his feet and made his way over to the wall as Donatello took his place facing off against Leonardo. Raphael dropped down next to Michelangelo with a grunt.

"How are your hands today?" Michelangelo asked.

"They're fine," Raphael replied.

"Are they sore?" Michelangelo pressed.

Raphael gave him a sideways glance. "They're fine, Donnie."

Michelangelo became sheepish. "Sorry," he apologized. "One Donatello playing doctor is probably enough, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Raphael agreed.

Splinter couldn't help but smile. Memories or no, brothers would still be brothers.

* * *

A few hours later the turtles were in the Battle Shell on their way to April's apartment. Michelangelo had asked many questions about the Battle Shell and the Shell Cycle. Donatello was all too eager to explain how they had come by the armored car it was fashioned from and how he had designed the weapons systems. Every now and then, Michelangelo would glance over at the Shell Cycle.

"Do they have motorcycles on Xarus?" Raphael asked.

Michelangelo shook his head. "The only mode of transportation we have are helicopters. The streets are too destroyed to drive on."

"Want to go for a ride?" Raphael wanted to know.

Michelangelo's eyes widened. "Can we?"

Raphael undid his seat belt and walked over to the bike, picking up two helmets and tossing one to Michelangelo before putting on his helmet. Michelangelo slipped on the helmet and climbed on to the motorcycle behind Raphael. The red masked turtle started the bike's engine.

"We'll see you guys at April's," Raphael called over his shoulder to his brothers.

Leonardo looked over his shoulder. "Don't drive too..."

The Shell Cycle shot out the back of the van.

"Crazy," Leonardo sighed.

Michelangelo waved as the Shell Cycle raced by. "Whoo!" he whooped. "This is awesome!"

He yelped when Raphael suddenly revved the engine and pulled the bike back on its back tire. As he felt himself slip off the bike, Michelangelo threw his arms around Raphael's chest to keep from falling off.

"You still on back there?" Raphael called over his shoulder, setting the bike back on its two tires.

"Barely," Michelangelo replied. "What are you trying to do? Kill me?"

Raphael laughed. "That was payback for the spar the other night."

He slowed the bike down as he made a turn into an alley. Raphael turned off the engine and set the bike on the stabilizer before pulling off his helmet and climbing off the bike. Michelangelo followed suit. A minute later the Battle Shell pulled into the alley. Leonardo and Donatello climbed out and the turtles made their way to the back door. Donatello knocked on the door.

"What if she doesn't like me?" Michelangelo suddenly asked.

"April's going to love you," Donatello told him. "There's a rare few that she doesn't like, but turtles aren't among them."

That seemed to put Michelangelo's mind at ease. The door opened to reveal a beautiful red-head with deep, emerald green eyes which sparkled when she saw the turtles outside.

"You're just in time," she said, ushering them inside. She closed the door and turned to face her friends, her eyes falling on Michelangelo. "You must be the famous Michelangelo I've heard about." The woman held out her hand. "April O'Neil. A pleasure to meet you."

Michelangelo took April's hand and the two shook hands. "Pleasure's all mine," he said.

April released his hand and shooed the turtles upstairs. "It's almost here."

"What's almost here?" Michelangelo asked.

April gave him a smile. "It's a surprise," she said.

The group walked into the upstairs apartment where April left to go back downstairs. Michelangelo looked around the small living room and dining area. As he walked around, Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael gathered in the kitchen.

"You think this is going to work?" Leonardo whispered.

"If this doesn't work I don't know what will," Donatello answered in a quiet voice.

"Mind fillin' me in?" Raphael whispered.

"On the way here we gave April a call," Donatello explained. "We asked her to have a special surprise for Mikey to help jog his memory."

Raphael crossed his arms. "And what surprise would that be?"

Leonardo smiled. "What's Mikey's favorite food?"

Raphael's eyes slowly widened, but before he could say anything, the apartment door opened and the room filled with the smell of pepperoni and sizzling cheese.

"Pizza's here," April announced.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Michelangelo looked down at the strange disk-like object in the cardboard box. It didn't look or smell very appetizing. April picked up a slice of what she had called pizza and placed it on a plate before handing it to Michelangelo. The orange masked turtle took the plate and set it in front of him. April served the others and they all sat and began eating. Michelangelo poked the slice of pizza on his plate, not sure if he should eat it or not. If April and the brothers were eating it, it must be safe. He picked up the slice, feeling the soft, squishy thin crust bend under the pressure of his fingers. Very slowly, Michelangelo raised the pizza to his mouth and took a bite.

Michelangelo very carefully chewed the bit of pizza in his mouth. Slowly, he set the slice back down on the plate and pushed it away from him. He didn't notice the distraught looks on the brothers' faces.

"Not hungry?" April asked.

"I guess I'm not one for pizza," Michelangelo replied.

The brothers looked at each other, each wearing the same worried and saddened expression. Raphael pushed his chair back and got up from the table, heading for the door. A minute after Raphael left, Leonardo excused himself and followed his brother. He found Raphael pacing around on the roof. As he walked closer, Leonardo could see Raphael's shoulders shake.

"Raph?" Leonardo spoke carefully.

Raphael wrapped his arms around himself. "What happened to him, Leo?" he asked, his voice shaking with a built up sob. "What happened to our brother?"

"I wish I knew," Leonardo replied. "And we have to be prepared to never know."

Raphael hung his head. "I should have gone with him. I should have made sure he got to April's safely."

"Raph, this isn't your fault," Leonardo said, finding some irony to his words. Usually it was someone else telling _him_ that he wasn't at fault for something gone wrong. "There was no sign that something bad was going to happen. It was a routine grocery run. We couldn't have anticipated this."

Raphael turned to face his brother, his face streaked with tears. "He's fighting a war, Leo. War! Mikey...our Mikey has been to war."

Leonardo felt his heart clench and he suddenly felt extremely sick. A horrible realization suddenly struck him like a subway train. "Maybe he's not our Mikey," Leonardo suggested.

Raphael frowned. "How?" he asked in confusion.

"Our Mikey wouldn't turn down pizza, for one," Leonardo explained. "He's been with us for almost a week and yet nothing has sparked any kind of memory for him."

Raphael felt the beginnings of hyperventilation starting at the thought that they could have anyone other than Michelangelo with them. But, he couldn't argue with Leonardo's logic. After a week, something-anything- should have triggered some kind of memory. Raphael turned away from his brother and put his hands on his head as he tried to calm his breathing down.

"How is that possible?" he whispered, more to himself than to Leonardo. "He looks exactly like Mikey. How can he be anyone else?"

"The multiverse is a strange and mysterious place," Leonardo said. "It's possible that this Xarus world can have its own versions of us."

"You sound like Donnie," Raphael retorted.

Leonardo shrugged. "We've seen far too much for it not to be possible," he pointed out. "We've been to other worlds, other dimensions. After the whole thing with the Utrom transmat and April's uncle's puzzle cube, I'm just about ready to believe anything."

Raphael sighed and let his hands fall to his sides. "If that's the case, then our Mikey's still out there somewhere," he said quietly.

* * *

A week she had been trekking through this jungle world. A week full of nothing but bugs, giant hungry animals and a tribe of jungle dwellers that would follow her every move but kept hidden. Zian pushed her way through the thick underbrush, her feet catching in raised tree roots and she stumbled forward before catching herself. She ran a hand across her forehead, wiping off the sweat. It was hot and humid, not a combination she was fond of. Zian looked skyward to see in which position the sun was in.

She looked over her shoulder when she heard the rustle of leaves and saw a small group of jungle dwellers trying to hide in the bushes. Shaking her head, Zian continued on her trek. She was hoping that the men would consider her a threat and attack. However, her hopes for such a thing was beginning to dwindle. Zian couldn't help but feel agitated. She wasn't used to missions not going her way. Zian huffed as she caught herself thinking like Orion.

"Stupid cat," she muttered under her breath.

Zian stepped on a raised tree root to jump over it when the root suddenly moved. She yelped as she fell backwards to the ground. Hissing in pain, Zian looked up to see the root move. Her eyes slowly drifted upward and a shriek caught in her throat when she realised that the tree above her wasn't a tree at all, but a giant one hundred and seventy-five foot anaconda. Behind her, Zian could hear terrified shouts and the sounds of running. The snake uncoiled from the tree it was wrapped around and lowered its head down to look at the creature that had stepped on it.

A pink forked tongue flicked out between thin lips, tasting the air. Zian tried to keep her breathing under control, but she was quickly losing the battle. Solid black eyes as smooth and reflective as glass peered at her, freezing Zian's heart in her chest. The snake leaned its head closer to Zian's face, flicking its tongue again.

"Nice snake," Zian said, her voice shaking. "Nice snake."

The snake bobbed its head as if it was looking her over. Zian didn't like the look on the animal's face. She knew it was regarding her as its next meal. Very slowly, Zian began inching her way backwards away from the anaconda. She wasn't going to meet her end in the belly of a snake. There were far less undignified ways of dying. If she was going to die it was going to be with honor on the battlefield.

"You really don't want to eat me," Zian told the snake as it followed her every move. "I taste terrible. Have you ever eaten a rock? Well, that's what it would be like if you ate me. I'd give you a serious case of indigestion."

The snake hissed and flicked its tongue again. Zian swallowed nervously as she slowly got to her feet. The snake continued to follow her every move. Zian knew that she wasn't going to outrun a one hundred and seventy-five foot long snake, and she quickly wondered if she would be able to beat it senseless. Or, better yet, kill it. Zian reached for the dagger that was strapped to the small of her back. Sensing danger, the snake struck. Zian cried out and jumped to the side, losing the dagger in the thick underbrush in the process. The snake hissed and flicked its tongue as Zian got to her feet.

"Alright, you overgrown handbag, you've asked for it," Zian growled.

With a yell, she charged forward. The snake struck again. Either by excellent timing or a divine intervention, the same moment the snake had its mouth open, Zian swung her fist, connecting with one of the snake's fangs. The force and power that Zian had put behind her punch managed to crack and break off one of the snake's fangs. The animal hissed in pain and displeasure. Zian picked the broken fang up. The snake reared its head back and went in for the kill. Zian stood her ground and, when the snake's head was close enough, drove the sharp end of the broken fang up through the back of the snake's mouth. The snake thrashed around but Zian forced the fang deeper until it severed the snake's brain stem. The beast fell to the ground, lifeless. Zian backed away from the snake and retrieved her dagger. A violent shiver shot down her spine.

"I hate snakes," she hissed.

Zian slipped the dagger back into the scabbard. She heard the rustling of leaves and looked up to find the jungle dwellers staring wide eyed at her. However, before she could think that they were finally going to attack her, the men dropped to their knees and bowed. Zian was pleasantly surprised.

"We are not worthy, blessed goddess," the leader said.

Zian put her hands on her hips and smiled. "Goddess, huh?" she asked.

"You have cleansed our lands of the evil death bringer. We are forever in your debt," the leader said. "Whatever you need, goddess, it will be yours."

Zian's grinned. _Orion, eat your heart out,_ she thought. When she spoke she put as much authority as she could behind her words. "I need warriors to aid me in a holy fight," Zian said. "I need your best and bravest."

"We are all that remain of our tribe, goddess," the leader replied. "We are small in number, but we have not been defeated in battle."

"Excellent," Zian said. "Wait here for further instructions."

She turned and walked away out of earshot from the warriors. Zian took out her com-unit, which was shaped like a turtle shell, and opened it. Orion had crafted the team's com-units when they had been assembled. He fashioned them to look like their leader's shell, making the team stand out even more.

"High Council, this is Zian. I have acquired the warriors. I am sending you my coordinates," Zian said.

She typed in the coordinates into the com-unit and closed it again as she walked back to where the tribe was now standing around waiting. Almost as soon as Zian walked up, a portal opened. The men backed away from the glowing doorway.

"Do not be afraid," Zian said. "Through that portal lies the holy fight. Fight well."

The men stepped through the portal and were gone. The doorway closed and another one opened up behind Zian. She walked through the second portal and stepped out into the portal room. Zai was waiting for her.

"Ah! Looks like we have our first recruiter back," he said.

Zian frowned. "First?" she asked. "Michelangelo has not returned, yet?"

Zai shook his head. "He must be on to something big," he said with a smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be back soon. Why don't you go to the dorm and take it easy? You look like you got into it with a snake."

Zai chuckled at his own joke which Zian half-heartedly joined in. The High Councilman patted her on the shoulder and walked away. Zian's smile faded as she looked at the doorway beside the one she had just walked through and she hoped that Michelangelo was doing okay. If they lost their leader, Zian didn't know what she would do.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	9. Chapter 9

The lair was still and silent. Everyone had gone to bed hours ago, however Michelangelo could only lay in bed, wide awake. The drive back from April's had been silent and awkward and Michelangelo feared he had done something wrong. He had to know if he had done something to make the brothers mad. Michelangelo pushed back the blanket and got out of bed. He pulled on his pants and headed out of the room. The lair was dark and eerie. Wrapping his arms around himself, Michelangelo ventured over to the stairs and looked up. He had never been to the upper floor.

As quietly as he could, Michelangelo made his way up the stairs. He looked around before heading off to the left. He poked his head into the room and, seeing that it was empty, stepped inside. A bed was attached to the wall with a ladder leading up to it. On the wall next to the bed hung a basketball hoop. A set of traffic lights hung from the center of the ceiling. Michelangelo frowned.

_Why would someone need traffic lights in their bedroom?_

Michelangelo examined the rest of the room. Stacks of comic books lined the far wall and framed pictures adorned a shelf above the comic books. Michelangelo walked over to the shelf and looked at the pictures. They all depicted various moments in the family's life. One picture, however, caught Michelangelo's eye. He picked the frame up and looked at the picture. It was of the missing brother and his cat. He was stretched out on the couch asleep with the cat curled up on his chest, also asleep. Michelangelo couldn't help but think of Orion as he studied the small feline.

"Couldn't sleep?" came a quiet voice.

Michelangelo looked up to see Leonardo standing in the doorway. He placed the picture back on the shelf. "Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to intrude."

Leonardo shook his head. "You're not intruding," he said.

"I uh...I don't know why I came in here," Michelangelo told him.

"Curious, maybe?" Leonardo guessed.

Michelangelo turned his back to Leonardo and put a hand to his mouth. He lowered his hand and put his hands on his hips. "Do you ever get the feeling that you've been somewhere before, but you have no idea why?"

"Like deja-vu?" Leonardo asked.

Michelangelo turned to face him. "Deja-what?"

"Deja-vu," Leonardo repeated, walking into the room. "The sensation that something looks or seems familiar."

Michelangelo looked away again. "That's what it is," he said. "And I've got it bad."

"Talk it through," Leonardo advised.

Michelangelo walked around the room as he spoke. "This isn't my home. My home burned down on Xarus. But, I've been in this room before. I don't know how, but I have."

"What about it is familiar?" Leonardo asked.

Michelangelo shook his head. "It was probably another dream," he said. "That's what it was. Just another dream." He hesitated as his eyes drifted over to Leonardo before looking away again. "But then again, I thought you were only a dream and you turned out to be real."

Leonardo glanced down at the floor. "Can I ask you something?" he asked.

"Sure," Michelangelo answered.

"This may sound random, but are there any other turtles on Xarus?" Leonardo wanted to know. "Like me, Raph and Don."

"There were others, but not like you three," Michelangelo replied. "I'm the only one left, now."

Leonardo nodded slowly. "May I ask about your brothers?"

"Danny, Liam and Ralph?" Michelangelo asked.

Leonardo took a deep breath. "How old were they when..."

"When they died?" Michelangelo finished. Leonardo nodded. "They were twelve, ten and seven. Danny was ten, Liam was twelve and Ralph was seven."

Leonardo closed his eyes as they began to sting with tears. He wanted more than anything for the turtle in front of him to be his little brother. But the more questions he asked, the more Leonardo feared this truly wasn't his baby brother.

"You know, the more I think about it, you kinda look similar to Liam," Michelangelo suddenly said.

Leonardo opened his eyes and looked up. "How so?"

"You have the same eyes," Michelangelo replied. "Plus his favorite color was blue."

"You don't have a picture of Liam, do you?" Leonardo asked.

Michelangelo nodded and took out his com-unit. Leonardo noticed that the device was designed like a turtle shell and reminded him of the shell cells. Michelangelo opened the com-unit and turned it towards Leonardo. The blue masked turtle took it and looked at the picture pinned to the top. His heart leapt up into his throat and his breath hitched. It was a picture of a family of humanoid turtles, but it was the three younger ones that caught Leonardo's attention. The younger ones looked almost identical to himself, Donatello and Raphael. It only made Leonardo's fears grow more that this really wasn't his Michelangelo and that his theory that Xarus had its own versions of himself and his brothers was more than just a theory.

Leonardo handed the com-unit back to Michelangelo. "Your family looks wonderful," he said, trying to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"Yeah," Michelangelo agreed with a small smile. "They were." His smile faded as he looked at the picture of his family. "I know how you feel, Leonardo...with you losing your little brother. You lose something inside; something that can't be replaced."

"I'm sure he's in a better place, now," Leonardo said quietly, not being able to hide the hurt in his voice.

The two turtles stood in silence for a few moments, both silently mourning the loss of their brothers.

"He never blamed you," Michelangelo suddenly spoke.

Leonardo looked up at him. "What?" he asked.

"Your brother. I'm sure he never blamed you for what happened. I'm sure he knew you tried everything you could to find him. But after a year with nothing to go on, you could only do what anyone would do. You had to accept that he was gone and try to move on."

Leonardo hung his head in shame. "We gave up on him," he said sorrowfully. "There was still more we could have done."

"You exhausted every lead," Michelangelo stated.

"We could have asked for intergalactic help," Leonardo replied.

"You never thought that your brother had been taken off world," Michelangelo put in.

"What other possibility was there?" Leonardo asked.

"What evidence did you have that suggested it?" Michelangelo asked back.

Leonardo shrugged. "We could have done something. Anything. We gave up too easily." He closed his eyes. "Mikey, I'm so sorry," he whispered.

Michelangelo felt tears sting his eyes at Leonardo's words. He swallowed back the tears. "It wasn't your fault," he said.

"Why can't you be my little brother?" Leonardo asked wretchedly. "Why can't you be my Mikey?"

Michelangelo closed the com-unit. "If you knew what I did...what I'm supposed to do...you wouldn't be saying that," he said.

Leonardo opened his eyes and watched Michelangelo leave the room. He felt like he was losing his brother for a second time. And like the first, he was powerless to do anything about it.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story. As always your support is what keeps me writing.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

"I don't know what to do, Ausk. These brothers...something about them is familiar, and not because of the dreams either," Michelangelo said.

Ausk hummed in thought as he listened to his leader's voice over the com-unit. It was clear that Michelangelo was in distress, but there was little Ausk could do from his current position in a cave located in the middle of a harsh desert world.

"What was Zai thinking?" Michelangelo continued. "The people of this world scream and run in fright if they see me. And the only warriors I can see being worthy to fight for the council are the turtle brothers."

"So, why not recruit them?" Ausk asked.

There was a hesitant pause. "Something...doesn't feel right," Michelangelo eventually answered. "They've already lost so much. How can I ask them to fight a war that's not theirs to fight? In fact, how can any of us ask people to fight our war? We don't have to drag them into our mess."

"Have you been sleeping well?" Ausk asked, changing the subject.

"Not really," Michelangelo replied. "I can't sleep knowing that I'm going to have to make the call and have the brothers shipped off to fight a war."

"I'm sure if you asked they would be more than happy to help you out," Ausk said.

At that moment, he heard the sound of claws scraping across rock. He slipped the com-unit into his back pocket and went to investigate. Ausk turned a corner and was struck in the chest by something hard.

"Ausk? You there?" Michelangelo asked.

"Give me a minute," Ausk grunted as he fought against a strange creature that was trying to drive a spear through his throat.

The creature hissed. "You will not have anymore of us."

Ausk yelled and swung his fist, connecting with the side of the creature's head and knocking it to the ground. Ausk got to his feet as the creature shook its head.

"I'd say I was sorry, but then I would be lying," Ausk said. "You're going to have to do better than that to kill me."

The creature got to its feet and picked the spear up. It hissed again and lunged forward. Ausk grabbed the spear and spun around, throwing the creature into the wall. He pinned the creature to the wall, feeling slick scales against his palm.

"What are you?" Ausk asked.

"As if you don't know, abductor," the creature seethed.

"If you don't want to tell me, then I can just beat it out of you," Ausk threatened.

The creature scoffed. "It will be no worse than what you did to my people. Taking them from their beds, leaving their loved ones to mourn their passing."

Ausk slammed his fist into the wall beside the creature's head. "Stop talking in riddles," he growled.

"We are the sand swimmers."

"Snakes," Ausk realized. He grinned. "Zian's going to love you."

The snake creature hissed a laugh. "So you _have_ come to take more of us. Go ahead, beast, try as you might, we will not go quietly."

"I know you won't tell me where the others of your kind are hiding. But, you will do just fine," Ausk said. He took out his com-unit. "I'm sorry, my friend, but I have to cut our talk short. I will see you back on Xarus."

Michelangelo sighed. "Alright," he said before the line went dead.

Ausk punched in the coordinates in his com-unit and a portal opened up a second later. "See you on the other side," he said to the snake before throwing him through the portal.

The portal closed and another one opened up behind Ausk. He stepped through the portal and walked out into the portal chamber. Zai and Zian were waiting for him.

"Two down, two to go," Zai said.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to get more warriors, High Councilman," Ausk apologized.

Zai waved a hand. "As long as you got one, that's all that matters," he said.

"Have you heard from Michelangelo?" Zian asked.

"He's still working on finding warriors," Ausk told her. "Have faith. He will return when he is ready."

* * *

Michelangelo walked into the garage to find Donatello with his head in the front end of the Battle Shell. Michelangelo made his way around the van. Donatello was tinkering with the Battle Shell's engine.

"What's ya workin' on?" Michelangelo asked.

Donatello yelped and jumped, hitting his head off the hood of the van. Michelangelo winced as Donatello rubbed his head.

"Sorry," Michelangelo apologized.

"It's okay. Wasn't expecting company," Donatello said. "And to answer your question: I'm upgrading the remote control sensors."

Michelangelo frowned in confusion. "The what?"

"Highly sophisticated sensors that allow the Battle Shell to respond to a remote control signal," Donatello explained. "Basically, I push a button on a remote and the Battle Shell comes to me."

"That's handy," Michelangelo commented.

Donatello turned back to the engine. "It's also dangerous," he said. "The first time I installed the sensors my Mikey pressed the button on the remote and the Battle Shell went on a rampage through the lair."

"So you're upgrading them in the lair now because...?" Michelangelo asked.

"Everyone knows better than to touch a work in progress," Donatello answered with a hint of a warning in his voice.

Michelangelo nodded in understanding. "Right," he said. He gazed around the garage and noticed a device designed like a turtle shell lying on a workbench. "What's that?" Michelangelo asked.

"What's what?" Donatello asked back.

Michelangelo walked over to the workbench and picked the device up. "This thing," he said, holding it up.

Donatello glanced up briefly before turning back to the engine. "That's a shell cell."

"A what?" Michelangelo questioned, looking down at the device.

"A communication device that me and my brothers use to keep in touch when we're out of the lair on patrol," Donatello explained.

Michelangelo frowned slightly and he reached into his pocket to pull out his com-unit. Though they were different shapes, they looked almost identical. Michelangelo had often wondered where Orion got the inspiration to build the com-units. He shook his head. There was no way Orion could have known about the shell cells; it wasn't possible. Michelangelo placed the shell cell back on the workbench and tossed his com-unit in the air before catching it again.

"Do you build all the vehicles and gadgets?" he asked.

"That's what I do," Donatello answered. "I've been fixing and building things since I was a kid. It's my contribution to the team."

"Contribution?" Michelangelo repeated.

Donatello was silent for a moment. "We each bring something different to the table. Leo's the level-headed leader who comes up with strategies for important missions. Raph's the muscle and the one who does most of the heavy lifting. And I'm the inventor; coming up with new gear to help with missions," he explained.

"That kinda sounds like my team," Michelangelo commented. "You remind me of Orion. He's an inventor, too. He built my team's com-units, which are similar to your shell cells."

"Sounds like we'd get along," Donatello said. "I would like to meet him."

Michelangelo grew silent at the comment. "Yeah," he mumbled. _You just might get your wish,_ he thought afterwards regretfully.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	11. Chapter 11

The bar was noisy and stank of hormones and cheap perfume. It had been the fifth bar Orion had visited during his stay on the city planet of Xerxes. Three weeks he had been on Xerxes and so far it had been less than pleasant. Although no one screamed and ran away at the sight of him, the people of the city did treat him with some disdain and kept their distance. The planet was made up of people like Zian and Ausk, only the people of Xerxes were more normal; no rock hard skinned women and no man mountains.

Orion knew he was running out of time to get recruits, but finding worthy fighters was a bit hard to do when everyone avoided him like he had the plague. He gulped down the last of the dark blue alcoholic beverage he had been nursing, paid for the drink and got up from the bar table. Orion hadn't taken two steps when he bumped into a broad chest and fell back down on the bar stool. He looked up and saw six men standing in front of him, blocking his exit. Orion sighed and scratched his ear.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" he asked as politely as he could.

"You're the guy who's been poking his nose in our city's business, aren't you?" the leader of the group said.

Orion's nose twitched at the stench that wafted off of the man's body and breath. "Trust me, it's not by choice," he replied.

"You lookin' to invade, you slimy rat?" another man asked.

Orion's ears twitched and the fur on the back of his neck stood on end. His golden eyes narrowed dangerously. "Do I look like a rat to you?" he hissed venomously. "You're the ones who smell like you crawled out of the sewer."

The lead man grabbed the front of Orion's shirt and pulled him off the bar stool. "We don't take kindly to invading aliens."

"To me you're the aliens," Orion said. "So I would appreciate it if you let go."

"If you're lookin' for a fight check the numbers," the lead man told him. "There's six of us and only one of you."

Orion smirked. "Then you might want to call a few more guys to make it even," he said cheekily.

The lead man growled. "Why you little..."

He took a swing at Orion's head, however the cat dodged the attack and swiped at the man's face. The man released Orion's shirt and fell back in surprise. Orion straightened his shirt and got to his feet. The bartenders were beginning to put the liquor bottles away and patrons were starting to back away, knowing that a fight was imminent. Orion stretched his neck from side to side, popping a couple of bones.

"So...who wants to be first?" he asked.

The leader of the group motioned for his men to stay back. He cracked his knuckles as he took a step towards Orion, who grinned mischievously.

"Okay, big boy, show me what ya got," Orion said.

The man swung a fist at the cat's head. Orion easily ducked out of the way and brought a fist up into the man's abdomen. The human grunted in pain and fell forward. Orion swung around and connected his foot with the back of the man's head, driving him forward even more and causing the man to crack his head against the linear bar table. Orion turned to face the remaining five. He slipped into a fighting stance.

"Next?" he asked. "I should warn you, I'm the reigning sparring champion back home."

"You asked for this, runt," a second man said as he rushed forward.

Orion hissed and he ran to meet the man. He jumped over the man's head, grabbed the back of his shirt and dropped to the floor again. Orion kicked at the man's legs and back before finally knocking him off his feet and driving a fist into the man's face, knocking him out cold. Orion looked up to see another man come charging at him. The cat once again jumped on to the human's shoulders, but this time he stayed there. The man thrashed around, trying to dislodge the pest. Orion grabbed the man's wrists as he swung his hands.

"Get 'im off! Get 'im off!" the man yelled.

Orion chuckled, seeing a fourth man stalk up.

"Here, kitty, kitty," the fourth man coaxed.

Orion's fur stood on end and he hissed, barring razor sharp teeth.

"Come here you stupid cat," the fourth man said.

Orion jumped off the shoulders of the man he was on and kicked off the man's chest. The two men collided, with one of them falling on top of the other. Orion landed on the bar table. The remaining two men charged. Orion leapt into the air and somersaulted over their heads, landing a few feet away behind them. One of the men picked up a bar stool. Orion grinned, forming a plan on how to take out his assailants. He took off at a run and threw himself at the nearest man and scrambled up to his shoulders.

"Come on, you ugly troll," Orion taunted the other man with the stool. "Give me your best shot."

Hoping the man was as clueless as he looked, Orion waited for his moment to jump. As luck would have it, the man swung the stool. Orion jumped off the second man's shoulders and heard a satisfying crack as the stool connected with a skull. Orion landed in a crouch and looked over his shoulder to see one man fall to the floor.

_One more to go._

The final man picked up a leg from the broken stool and tapped it against his open palm as he advanced on the feline. Orion stood up and turned to face him. He bounced on the balls of his feet as he raised his fists. The man swung the weapon, but before Orion could dodge, the thick wood connected with the side of his head. Orion stumbled and caught himself on another table. Lights danced before his eyes and the room spun out of control. While Orion was dazed, the man saw his opportunity to attack again. The man raised the wooden leg over his head and brought it down. Orion barely dodged the attack; hissing as the wood slammed against his arm.

"I've had just about enough of you," Orion growled.

Shaking his head to clear it of the haze, Orion dashed forward and grabbed a hold of the wooden leg. The two fighters struggled over control of the weapon. Orion swung his leg, sweeping the man's legs out from underneath him. The man cried out as he toppled to the floor, releasing his hold on the wood. Orion smacked the wooden leg against the man's head, rendering him unconscious. He threw the weapon to the floor and panted for breath. He looked around at the frightened looks on the other patrons faces.

"Anyone else want to have a go?" Orion challenged. Everyone remained silent. "No? Smart move," Orion said as he pulled out his com-unit and opened it. "Orion to base. Come get these doorknobs so I can go home."

Orion punched in the coordinates and closed the com-unit. A minute later, a portal opened and several guards walked out. The leader took one look around, shook his head and sighed.

"Did you have to beat them senseless?" he asked Orion.

"Don't look at me. They started it," Orion said.

The guards picked the six unconscious men up and disappeared through the portal. Orion walked over to the bar and held out a paper bill.

"One of those blue bottles to go," he told the bartender.

Shakily, the young man held out a full bottle of dark blue liquid which Orion took in exchange for the money. He turned around just as another portal opened. Popping the cap on the bottle and taking a long drink, the cat regarded the patrons one final time.

"Don't worry, we won't be seeing each other again," Orion said before vanishing through the portal.

When he stepped out into the portal room, Orion was met by Zian and Ausk. Zian looked like she was about to strangle someone.

"Where have you been?" Zian demanded.

"Nice to see you, too," Orion said sarcastically as he made his way for the door.

Zian followed him with Ausk close behind her. "Have you heard from Michelangelo?" she asked.

"No, I have not," Orion replied, taking another drink from the bottle. "He's a big boy, he can take care of himself."

The teammates headed out into the open air of the courtyard. Orion headed straight for the bunker.

"Where are you going?" Zian asked.

"To bed," Orion replied.

Zian walked in front of Orion, blocking his path. "Our leader is missing and you're going to sleep?" she asked incredulously.

"Like I said before, the boss can take care of himself," Orion said. "He doesn't need us babysitting him."

"He could be hurt, or worse, and you couldn't care less," Zian accused.

Orion rubbed his eyes. "It's not my fault you have missing leader issues. And I never said I couldn't care less about whether the boss was hurt or not...which I highly doubt. Mikey can take a horrendous beating and still finish the job. If it's taking him this long to get back from a mission it's because he's working really hard to get us the best fighters the three of us could only dream of recruiting," he explained. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a date with my pillow."

With that, Orion pushed past Zian and disappeared into the bunker. Zian started forward to follow but Ausk put a hand on her shoulder.

"Let him go," Ausk said.

"He doesn't care that Michelangelo is missing," Zian told him.

"He does care. He just has his own way of showing it," Ausk replied. "Don't worry, our team will be whole once more."

Zian sighed. "I hope you're right, Ausk. I hope you're right."

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. Your support is what keeps me writing. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

The room smelled of jasmine incense and tea leaves. Michelangelo sat at a short table across from Splinter, watching as the ninja master poured two cups of steaming tea. Something about the ritual seemed familiar, but he just passed it off as being another case of deja-vu. It seemed like he was having a lot of deja-vu cases lately. He had been the guest of the ninja family for almost four weeks now and more and more things started jumping out at him. It was happening far too often for it to be mere dreams; especially after his talks with Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello. Though they reminded him of his teammates, they also looked like older versions of his brothers.

Michelangelo knew if he didn't report back to the council soon they would come looking for him, and that was something he didn't want to happen. But he couldn't ignore the familiar feelings. If the brothers were forcibly taken then he would lose any chance he had at finding out why he was having so many cases of deja-vu. Michelangelo hoped that this meeting with Splinter would help clear some things up.

"How have you been enjoying your stay here?" Splinter asked, handing one of the tea cups over to Michelangelo.

The orange masked turtle took the cup. "It's been great. I feel like I'm part of the family," he replied with a smile.

Splinter smiled. "Good. That is good to hear." He took a sip of his tea, his ears twitching slightly. "However, I sense that you are in distress," Splinter said, lowering the cup. "Is something troubling you?"

"A lot of something, actually," Michelangelo answered, looking down into the steaming brew.

"Like what?" Splinter asked.

"This, for one," Michelangelo said, indicating the tea table. "I feel like I've done this several times before. And it happens too frequently for it to be merely a dream."

Splinter hummed in thought and nodded. "And you are not sure what is real and what is a dream. Am I right?"

Michelangelo nodded. "It's all too familiar for it to be a dream." He held his head in his hands. "I don't know what's happening to me."

"What makes you think that something is happening?" Splinter questioned.

"My whole life has been nothing but war," Michelangelo explained. "It's all I've ever known. But now...being here with you and your sons...it makes me think that maybe my life isn't what I've always thought it was."

He lowered his hands and sighed. Splinter felt his hopes rise a little bit at Michelangelo's words. A couple of days earlier, Leonardo had come to him, confused and angry and told Splinter that maybe they had the wrong Michelangelo. Splinter told his son to keep being patient and continue to be a brother to Michelangelo, saying that he believed they did indeed have the right one and that all he needed was to be shown that which he had lost.

Splinter studied Michelangelo's face, seeing the conflict in his eyes. "What is on your mind?" the rat asked gently.

Michelangelo shook his head. "You don't want to know," he replied.

"Maybe I can help," Splinter offered.

"No one can help me," Michelangelo said. He got to his feet and headed for the door. "Thanks for the tea."

Splinter's ears flattened against his head as he sighed. Michelangelo walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. He ran a hand over his face as he felt tears begin to sting his eyes. He couldn't tell Splinter what he was about to do; how could he? How could he tell Splinter, who treated him with such kindness and love, that he was going to betray his trust and take the three most precious things in his life away from him? Michelangelo wrapped his arms around his stomach and hung his head; heading for the elevator.

* * *

"Has anyone seen Mikey?" Leonardo asked as he walked around the lair.

"Thought he was with sensei," Donatello replied, coming out of the garage.

Leonardo shook his head. "Master Splinter told me he just up and left in the middle of their talk. He said Mikey had this conflicted look in his eyes; and when Master Splinter asked if he could help Mikey said that no one could help him."

Donatello frowned as he became thoughtful. "Weird," he murmured.

Leonardo looked around the lair; just then realizing that something else was off. "Where's Raph?" the blue masked turtle asked.

Donatello's frown deepened as it dawned on him that Raphael was missing as well. He hadn't seen his hot-headed brother all day, assuming that Raphael was either in his room or in the dojo. Donatello reached into his belt and pulled out his shell cell. Opening it, he dialed Raphael's number and placed the device to his ear. On the fifth ring it went to voicemail. Donatello hung up and went over to his desk, picking up the tracker. He turned it on and waited until a small blip appeared on the screen.

"Raph must have went after Mikey," Donatello said as he made his way over to where Leonardo was still standing by Splinter's room.

Leonardo poked his head into the room. "Sensei, me and Don are going to find Raph and Mikey," he informed his teacher.

Splinter nodded. "Be safe, my sons."

Leonardo and Donatello headed topside. They hit the rooftops and ran as fast as their legs could carry them. The blip on the tracker screen hadn't moved, but that could have meant anything. Raphael was probably either standing still, had accidentally dropped his shell cell, or was unconscious. Leonardo and Donatello picked up the pace as they saw familiar orange and red masked figures on a couple of rooftops ahead. They could almost hear what Raphael and Michelangelo were saying.

"Why won't you just talk?" Raphael was asking.

"There's nothing to talk about," Michelangelo replied. "Now, please, for the last time, you have to go."

Leonardo and Donatello ran up. "What's going on?" Leonardo asked, looking from Raphael to Michelangelo.

A panicked look washed over Michelangelo's face. "Will all of you go away?!" he shouted desperately.

"Why?" Donatello wanted to know.

Michelangelo buried his head in his hands and backed away. "You shouldn't be here. You have to go. They'll find you if you stay."

Leonardo frowned in confusion. "Who will find us? What's going on?" he demanded.

There was a small beeping sound. The brothers checked their shell cells but it wasn't any of them. They looked at each other before turning wide eyes to Michelangelo.

"You have to go," Michelangelo said. "_Now_!"

But before anyone could say or do anything, a ring of portals opened up, surrounding the turtles. Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael pulled out their weapons as armed guards stepped through the portals. Donatello looked over and gave Michelangelo a look of hurt and betrayal.

"Mikey?" he whispered.

"I'm sorry," Michelangelo said. "I didn't want it to have to come to this."

He turned and disappeared through a portal behind him, the sounds of fighting and a battle cry the last things he heard as he stepped back into the portal room of the Council Tower.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	13. Chapter 13

The air was cold and crisp. The wind whipped his mask tails into his face as he looked down at the five grave markers sticking up out of the hard, packed ground. Michelangelo didn't stick around the Council Tower to receive his congratulations from Zai or his teammates. He had practically ran out of the portal room and never stopped running until he had reached this place; the skeleton remains of his family home; broken and empty, just like the hole that was now eating away at him.

How could he have done such a thing? How could he have thrown the kindness and love the ninja family had shown him back in their faces? He didn't deserve praise; he deserved disownment and hatred. He had tried to save the brothers; leaving the lair and calling for a portal back home before they came after him. Sadly, they caught up to him at the worst possible moment and now they were captives; forced against their will to fight in a war that wasn't theirs to fight. Michelangelo reached into his belt and pulled out a nunchuck. Leonardo had given him a set to keep during one of the first training sessions Michelangelo had attended. It had been a sign of good faith; of trust; and he threw it back in their faces.

"Thought I'd find you here," came a familiar voice.

Michelangelo looked up to see Orion walking down the path. The turtle turned away from his friend; unable to keep his gaze. Orion took up a position beside Michelangelo, his hands in his pants pockets; eyes locked on the grave markers. The friends stood in silence; neither one wanting to break it. Orion noticed the weapon in Michelangelo's hand and he swallowed nervously; redirecting his gaze.

"Who else is looking for me?" Michelangelo finally asked.

"No one," Orion replied. "Ausk said that you needed time alone, so we should leave you alone." He shrugged. "But I figured you'd want to have a chance to speak with your recruits before they're brought before the council."

"They won't want to see me," Michelangelo muttered. "I betrayed them. I used their kindness to get close to them."

"You had it easier than me. At least they didn't attack you when they saw you," Orion pointed out.

Michelangelo glanced over at his friend. "What makes you think they'd be willing to listen to what I have to say?" he asked.

"Because you're their brother," Orion replied.

Michelangelo frowned. "What?" he said.

"Uh...friend," Orion corrected himself. "Because you're their friend and friends should hear each other out."

"Why did you say brother?" Michelangelo wanted to know.

Orion turned and began walking away. "They won't be in the cells for long. We might catch them if we hurry."

Michelangelo hurried after Orion. "Why did you say brother?" he asked again.

"It was a slip," Orion replied. "You act as though they were your brothers so I automatically said brother. Nothing more."

The friends made their way through the ruined streets until they came to the Council Tower. They headed down into the lower levels of the building, entering into the holding cells. Only one was occupied. Leonardo looked up and his eyes immediately fell on Michelangelo and Orion. He squinted slightly when he saw the cat.

"Klunk?" he asked.

Raphael and Donatello turned to see Michelangelo and Orion standing in the hallway.

"Klunk?" Donatello asked in disbelief.

"What happened to you?" Raphael questioned.

"I'll be outside," Orion whispered to Michelangelo.

He turned and left the holding cells. Michelangelo stayed where he was, not knowing what to do or say. Thankfully, it was Leonardo who spoke first.

"Mikey, what's going on?" the blue masked turtle asked.

"Something I was trying to avoid," Michelangelo answered.

"Why are we here?" Donatello wanted to know.

Michelangelo looked down at the floor. "To fight," he replied quietly. "You're here to fight our war."

"Why?" Raphael demanded.

"Raphael, please try to understand. I was trying to keep this from happening," Michelangelo explained, looking back up at the brothers. "I couldn't live with knowing that I was condemning you to a lifetime of servitude. This is our war, our mess; you shouldn't be brought into this."

"Well, we are," Raphael snapped venomously. "You did a bang up job trying to keep us out of it."

Michelangelo began backing away towards the door. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I truly am."

He turned and walked out of the room. He ran up the stairs two at a time, tears streaming down his face. When he saw Ausk and Zian standing by the doorway, Michelangelo quickly wiped the tears away and regained his composure. Zian turned her head when she heard footsteps pad up the stairs to see Michelangelo emerge.

"Do you know what's wrong with Orion?" Zian asked.

"Why do you ask?" Michelangelo questioned.

"Earlier this week he was called in for a meeting with the council to discuss the details of his recruitment mission, but he never showed up," Ausk explained. "Later, I found him curled up on his bed with his head buried beneath his pillow and heard him muttering off names and saying how he had to tell you something. Whatever it was, it sounded urgent and important."

Michelangelo nodded. "Do you know where he is?"

"Probably back at the bunker," Zian replied.

Michelangelo nodded again and ran off. Zian and Ausk watched their leader leave. They wouldn't say it, but they were both worried that something was seriously wrong with their feline comrade. They feared that perhaps the pressures of war had finally made Orion snap. Even though she wouldn't dare say anything out loud, Zian was afraid that Orion would be discharged and their team; their family, was going to be split up. She was never good with change, never had been; and losing a teammate would be one change she would never get over.

* * *

Michelangelo jogged into the men's dorm to find Orion sitting on the edge of his bed; his arms resting on his knees and his head bowed. Michelangelo made his way over to his friend and sat down on the bed across from the cat.

"They say ignorance is bliss," Orion said quietly. He scoffed a laugh and shook his head. "It only makes us blind fools."

"Why did you really call me their brother?" Michelangelo asked slowly.

Orion swallowed thickly, his eyes remaining fixed on the floor. "I'm sorry, boss," he whispered.

"For what?" Michelangelo questioned.

Orion swallowed again, his eyes filling with tears. "For not being able to protect you," he answered wretchedly.

Michelangelo frowned in confusion. "Protect me from what?"

Orion shook his head. "I can't say. You need to see for yourself."

"See what?" Michelangelo pressed.

Orion finally looked up, his golden eyes swimming with tears. "Top floor of the Council Tower. In the corridor before the hallway that leads to the council chamber. There's only one door in that hallway. Inside you'll find what you need," he explained. "And please...be careful. If they find out it'll be a fate worse than death."

With those instructions and warning, Orion got up from the bed and disappeared out of the dorm. Michelangelo remained sitting, too confused to do much else. What had suddenly gotten into Orion?

_Maybe he's finally worked himself over the edge,_ Michelangelo thought.

Whatever the case, he was now curious. Michelangelo got up from the bed and headed out of the dorm, making his way for the Council Tower. He would follow Orion's instructions, and while he was at it he would pay the council a visit; maybe he could persuade them to release the turtle brothers. It wasn't their war to fight. And there was no harm in trying.

_And who knows?_ Michelangelo thought to himself as he entered the Council Tower. _Maybe I'll finally get an answer as to why Orion called me the turtle's brother._

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed thus far. I'm glad you're enjoying the story.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello were led through the halls of the Council Tower. Their wrists were bound behind their backs and four guards, two posted in front and two in back, made sure that they didn't try to escape. However, escaping was the last thing on their minds. The pain and hurt that came with their brother's betrayal still stung. Leonardo had so hoped that Splinter's advice on continuing to be Michelangelo's brothers would help him remember who his family was; it had been nothing more than wishful thinking.

"How could Mikey do this to us?" Raphael growled under his breath.

"I don't think he had much of a choice," Donatello replied.

"He didn't," Leonardo said. "Because it's what he was sent to do."

The brothers were brought into the council chamber. When they were at the foot of a short flight of stairs leading up to a platform, they were forced to kneel. Raphael looked like he was about to say something, but movement above stopped him from saying anything. Five robed figures walked out into view. Disdain and loathing instantly washed over Raphael's face; his jaw clenching in anger.

"Michelangelo has done well," the chief councilman said as he regarded the brothers. "He has brought back excellent warriors."

Leonardo glanced over at Raphael to see his brother's body tense and shake with rage. Raphael must have been using every ounce of self-control he had to keep from attacking anyone; but Leonardo knew that it was only a matter of time before something happened. He turned to look back at the council, not being able to help his own feelings of anger at what these people had done to their little brother.

"What did you do to Mikey?" Raphael demanded.

His outburst earned him a blow to the back of the head by one of the guards.

"Know your place, Reptile," the guard hissed. He bowed to the council. "Councilman Zai, my apologizes."

The chief councilman raised a hand. "He has a right to know," he said calmly, lowering his hand. He addressed the brothers. "For centuries we of the High Council have watched over this planet as its protectors of peace and harmony. However, there were those who rebelled against us as children often do with their parents. They were disciplined in the appropriate manner and released back into society."

"So, what's with this war?" Donatello asked. "I thought you were about peace and harmony?"

"This war is not our doing," Zai replied. "This war is the act of those rebellious children. Many of our followers and guards were killed in the first wave of attacks, so we had to rebuild. We searched the galaxies for suitable warriors, bringing them here and cleansing them of their past sins before they could become holy warriors."

"Cleansing?" Donatello echoed in confusion.

"You mean strip them of their lives!" Raphael yelled venomously.

Donatello's eyes widened at his brother's words. "Erase their memories and inject false ones?" he said in disbelief.

"How is that _cleansing_?" Leonardo wanted to know.

"And why Mikey?" Donatello asked.

"Your brother possessed great skill and agility we had not seen before," Zai explained. "It proved difficult to recruit him at first, since he was never without one of you beside him. But he was recruited in the end."

"Recruited?" Raphael snarled. "Is that what you call kidnapping people?"

Leonardo looked over at Donatello, his own worry mirrored in Donatello's eyes. Raphael was completely out of control, and if he wasn't calmed down he was going to do something all of them were going to regret.

"Raph, calm down," Leonardo told his hot-headed brother. He turned to face Zai. "So what about Klunk?"

"The cat?" Zai asked. "We saw how much your brother treasured the feline, so I had Clarissa turn him into something more useful. She has the ability to manipulate a creature's DNA so suit our needs for warriors."

Donatello glanced back at Raphael's hands. His brother was fighting with all of his might against the ropes that bound him. With every word, Raphael just got more and more heated; and Donatello didn't like the way Zai was looking at his red masked brother. It was the way a vulture looks at a dying animal; hungry, waiting for the moment it can feed.

"Your brother and his pet were recruited for a great cause," Zai stated. "They have stopped many rebels from tearing this planet apart."

Leonardo saw something snap in Raphael's eyes and he knew the final straw had been cut. Without warning, Raphael shot to his feet, knocked a guard back and sliced the ropes over the blade of the guard's spear. Before anyone could stop him, Raphael grabbed the spear and lunged forward, charging up the steps. He had the weapon ready to attack and was almost to the top of the stairs when Zai held out his hand, said a few words in another language and a blast of red energy shot from his palm. It hit Raphael right in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards down the steps. He fell in an ungraceful heap at the bottom of the stairs, smoke rising from his body.

Two guards quickly moved in to grab the stunned turtle, pulling him to his feet. Zai walked down the stairs as Leonardo and Donatello were also pulled to their feet. He regarded them in turn before turning his eyes to the waking Raphael.

"Take these three to the Cleansing Chamber," Zai instructed. "And cleanse this one, first," he said, nodding at Raphael, who strained to look up. "Your rage will be the end to all who oppose us," the chief councilman whispered to Raphael before he was dragged off.

* * *

Michelangelo walked through the halls of the Council Tower on his way to the council chamber. He was going to see if he could somehow convince the leaders to let Leonardo, Raphael and Donatello go. They didn't need to be dragged into this war; it wasn't their fight to begin with.

He passed by a door that was slightly ajar. Michelangelo stopped walking and frowned. He hadn't noticed that door before. Looking around to see if anyone was around, Michelangelo walked over to the door and pushed it open, poking his head inside. The room was dark, save for a single beam of light shining down in the middle of the room, illuminating a computer terminal.

Michelangelo made his way over to the control panel and studied it for a moment. After a minute, he pressed a button and looked up when a screen appeared in front of the terminal. Michelangelo frowned in confusion as he watched scenes play out on the screen. His confusion deepened when he realized they weren't just any random scenes; they were memories...his memories.

Michelangelo watched with wide, disbelieving eyes. There was no way...it couldn't be. Something snapped inside his mind and he wasn't just watching the memories anymore, he was reliving them. Michelangelo cried out and held his head, closing his eyes and turning away from the screen as the memories rushed through his mind's eye. He fell to his knees.

"It's not possible. It can't be. Leo...Raph...Don. I...I..." Michelangelo opened his eyes and sick realization washed over him. "Oh shell," he said in horror. "Guys!"

He shot to his feet and bolted for the door.

* * *

Leonardo and Donatello were roughly shoved into a large cage while Raphael was strapped to a chair a few feet away. The brothers watched helplessly as their sibling was tied up. Raphael offered up little resistance. Donatello feared that the blast had taken a lot more out of Raphael than he first thought.

"Let him go!" Leonardo yelled.

"That is not possible," one of the guards said as one of his comrades placed a strange helmet over Raphael's head, covering his eyes. "He must be cleansed of his past sins. But do not worry, for soon it will be your turn."

"Doesn't it bother you that you're stealing a person's life?" Donatello asked. "You're stripping them of everything they ever loved and cared for."

"Such things are useless in the holy fight," the guard said.

Leonardo quickly understood why Raphael had lost control so fast. "Holy fight?" he seethed. "This senseless war of yours has done nothing but tear families apart across the multiverse."

The guard walked over to a control terminal and took a hold of a lever. Without saying a word, he pulled down on it and the helmet sparked to life. Raphael immediately began screaming in pain, making Leonardo and Donatello jump in surprise. Never before had they heard such a sound rip from their hot-headed brother's throat. Raphael's body jerked and twisted in the chair.

"Stop it!" Leonardo screamed in desperation. "You're hurting him!"

"Cleansing can be painful depending on the amount and how bad the sins committed were," the guard explained. "And by the sounds of your brother's screams, I'd say his sins were many and fierce."

Raphael fought against the straps that bound his wrists and ankles as he continued to scream. "Leo! Leo!"

Leonardo felt a hot shiver shoot down his spine. He hated the way his name sounded when it was screamed in pain.

"Please, you have to stop this!" Donatello pleaded. "You're killing him!"

"No one has ever died from a cleansing," the guard explained. "I doubt it will happen now."

"You don't know that," Donatello said.

He looked over to see his brother's memories flash by on a small computer screen. It made him sick at how slow they were going. Donatello was also unnerved by the thought he was looking into his brother's mind. Every experience Raphael ever had in life, some with his family, others without. Raphael's screams intensified when his memories flashed to several brawls with the Purple Dragons and the Foot. Leonardo and Donatello watched in horror as their brother cut down the men in blind rage.

"No! No!" Raphael screamed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Raph, it's okay," Leonardo spoke to his pained brother.

Raphael's jaw clenched in pain and tears streamed down his face. "Leo, I'm so sorry," he whimpered. "Sensei, I'm...I'm sorry...I failed. I failed in being a good ninja, a good son. Donnie..."

With tears streaming down his face, Donatello looked from the computer screen to his brother. Raphael's hands were clenched into tight fists and his body was shaking, but not from the pain of the cleansing, but from the sobs that were wracking his body. Tears flowed steadily down Raphael's face.

"I'm sorry," the red masked turtle sobbed. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It's okay, Raph," Donatello spoke softly. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Tell Mikey..." Raphael began.

"Don't," Leonardo cut in. "Whatever it is, you're going to tell Mikey yourself."

Raphael's breath hitched. "I won't know who he is," he choked out.

Donatello looked at the computer screen again, this time seeing the memories fade to black to be replaced by ones of war. Raphael's memories were being rewritten.

"It's been an honor," Raphael said in a shaky voice. "I'm sorry I wasn't a better brother."

"You were the best brother a turtle could ask for," Donatello replied.

Raphael swallowed thickly as his body began to relax. Donatello couldn't take much more and he turned away, burying his face in Leonardo's chest as he broke down. Leonardo held his brother close, his eyes going from Raphael to the computer screen. His brother's final memories were of their family. Birthdays, holidays, down time. It was all disappearing before Leonardo's eyes. Soon, Raphael wouldn't be Raphael anymore; he would be a drone of the council.

"Good bye," Raphael whispered.

As the words left Raphael's mouth, the door of the cleansing chamber burst open and Michelangelo shot through the door like a bat out of hell. Without slowing down, he ran for the helmet controls, whipped out a nunchuck and threw it at the lever. The weapon hit the lever and pushed it up, turning the helmet off. Before the guards could react, Michelangelo was on top of them. He knocked the men away from the controls before knocking them out.

"You dare?" the lead guard seethed.

"Yeah, I dare. That's my brother you're mind wiping, creep," Michelangelo said.

He swung his second nunchuck and instantly knocked the guard out. Michelangelo gathered up his thrown weapon and slipped both into his belt. He grabbed the keys from one of the guards and tossed the key ring to Leonardo's waiting hand. While Leonardo unlocked the cage door, Michelangelo went over to Raphael and unhooked the helmet. Raphael's head hung limply to one side, his eyes closed.

"Raphie?" Michelangelo asked. "Raphie, can you hear me?"

Leonardo and Donatello ran up. Michelangelo undid the straps around Raphael's ankles and wrists. Donatello went into doctor mode and assessed his unconscious brother for any injuries. His fingers instantly went to Raphael's neck and worry sent his heart plummeting into the pit of his stomach when he felt how slow Raphael's pulse was.

"Donnie, we have to go," Leonardo said.

With Michelangelo's help, Leonardo lifted Raphael to his feet and the brothers made their way out of the room.

"I couldn't find your weapons," Michelangelo said. "They probably already took them to the forge."

"It doesn't matter," Leonardo told him. "What's important is that you're back and we get back home safely."

Michelangelo nodded. "Follow me. I know the way to the portal."

Donatello followed close behind his brothers as Michelangelo led them out of the cleansing room. The brothers back tracked through guard infested hallways. If they were caught they had no hope in getting back home. It wouldn't take the guards long to erase their memories, or worse. Everytime they stopped to hide from a squad of guards, Donatello would check Raphael's vitals. He feared that with the energy blast from Zai and the cleansing, Raphael wouldn't make it back to Earth, let alone the lair.

He was fading with each passing second.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N**: I'm sad to say that this story is coming to an end. There will be one more chapter after this one.

Your support has been amazing. Thank you so much!

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

"How much further to the portal?" Donatello whispered after a group of guards walked by the brother's hiding spot.

"We're almost there," Michelangelo answered breathlessly.

Leonardo peeked around the corner and motioned for his brothers to follow him. The turtles hurried down the hallway. Michelangelo pointed out a set of doors at the end of the hall and they ran towards it as fast as they could. Donatello jogged around Leonardo and Michelangelo and threw open the doors. Inside someone was at the computer controls for the portals. As the brothers got closer to the middle of the room they found a familiar orange and white feline at the controls.

"Klunk?" Michelangelo said.

Klunk turned around when he heard his name. His heart dropped when he saw Leonardo and Michelangelo carrying an unconscious Raphael between them. Donatello took Raphael and Michelangelo ran up to his friend.

"My memories. That's what you were directing me towards," the orange masked turtle said. "And you found yours. That's why you started acting strangely."

"And why I accidentally called you Leo, Raph and Don's brother," Klunk added. He looked over Michelangelo's shoulder at the others. "How's Raph?" Klunk asked.

"Not good," Donatello answered. "We have to get him back home. He needs medical attention."

Klunk turned around and pulled a lever. A portal opened up in one of the doorways along the wall. The group headed for the portal but were stopped by a frantic female voice.

"Stop!" Zian yelled as she and Ausk ran up.

Michelangelo stood between his friends and his brothers. Zian looked up at him with a look of hurt and betrayal.

"I can't let you go any further," Michelangelo said.

"Why?" Zian asked. "We need them."

"We can't stay," Klunk told her. "If we do we're dead."

"And why is that?" Ausk wanted to know.

Klunk fought to keep the portal open. "It's all been a lie," he said. "This war...it's all been a misunderstanding."

"What misunderstanding, Orion?" Zian demanded.

"The council has been abducting people from across the multiverse for years. They were building an army to conquer other worlds since this planet is close to dying. To keep their soldiers complacent, the council manipulated their DNA and wiped their memories while injecting false ones. But the memory wipe didn't take with some of them and they revolted; fighting their way back towards the Council Tower as they tried to get back home." Klunk looked up at Ausk and Zian. "We've been killing people who are just trying to get back home to their families."

Zian looked from Klunk to Michelangelo then back again. "So what you two? Why do you have to leave?"

"In the eyes of the council we're rebels now," Klunk told her. "They'll torture us and then kill us."

Zian lowered her head as tears stung her eyes. Michelangelo lifted her head up so they were looking eye to eye.

"We're never truly gone," he said. "Just in different worlds."

"But I want you in this world," Zian whispered in a shaky voice.

Michelangelo gave her a sad smile. "I know. And it's not a matter of them or you. I don't want you to have to see your friends being tortured and executed." He wiped a tear from Zian's eye. "We'll always be a team. We're family."

"Mikey, we have to go," Leonardo urged.

Michelangelo leaned down and kissed Zian on the cheek. "I'll see you in my dreams," he whispered in her ear.

Leonardo and Donatello hurried through the portal with Raphael, followed closely by Michelangelo. Klunk released the lever and shot towards the portal, jumping through just before it closed. Zian hurried over to the portal controls and tried to open up a portal. "System error" flashed on the screen. Zian hit her hands against the controls with a yell.

"Orion!" she screamed.

* * *

The lair was just like he remembered. Klunk wandered around the lair, taking in everything. The last time he had been in the underground dwelling he had been a simple house cat. It made him sad to think that so much had changed in the last year, and none of it was good. Klunk looked towards the infirmary where Leonardo, Donatello and Michelangelo had disappeared with Raphael. They had been in the infirmary for the last hour and a half. Klunk assumed that Donatello was operating to keep Raphael alive.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the tapping of wood against stone. Klunk turned around to see Splinter walking up. This was the first time he had been in the same room as the ninja master since returning to New York.

"You have grown," Splinter stated.

"Yeah," Klunk said. "Now that I remember everything...it's kind of surreal that I can talk to you and you can understand me."

Splinter nodded. "It will take some getting used to," he agreed. "No longer seeing you as the beloved family pet, but as a son and brother."

Klunk's heart fluttered at the words. "Son?" he echoed quietly.

"Every child needs a guiding hand," Splinter replied. "Though you have seen many hardships, you are still quite young. And you have always been considered as an equal among the brothers. You are part of this family, and thus you will be treated as a son and a brother."

Klunk swallowed back tears, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Thank you...sensei," he said.

Splinter smiled back and patted Klunk on the shoulder. "Training resumes tomorrow morning. That is, if you would like to join us."

Klunk gave Splinter a respectful bow. "It would be an honor, Master Splinter," he said.

"Good. Now, you go in and be with your brothers. They will need your strength," Splinter told him.

Klunk straightened and hurried off towards the infirmary. Splinter smiled as he watched Klunk disappear into the room. Their small family of five had now grown into a family of six.

* * *

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N**: This is the last chapter. It's been fun. I'm glad you all enjoyed the story. Your support has been amazing and so inspiring.

**Disclaimer**: see chapter one

* * *

Leonardo, Michelangelo and Klunk waited anxiously outside the infirmary for Donatello to emerge. After they had returned to New York, Donatello had operated to fix the internal damage caused by the energy blast Zai had hit Raphael with back on Xarus. Raphael had ended up in a coma for three weeks afterwards and he was just now waking up. Donatello had banished everyone from the infirmary until he had done a complete assessment of Raphael, which included testing his memory. Everyone feared that Michelangelo had been too late in stopping the memory wipe and that much of Raphael's memories were not intact. Splinter had stated that he had faith Michelangelo had arrived just in time and that Raphael was going to be fine.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Donatello walked out of the infirmary; a downtrodden look on his face. The others immediately feared the worst. Leonardo went to meet Donatello at the doorway while Michelangelo and Klunk hung back. Leonardo put a hand on Donatello's shoulder, halting him in his tracks.

"How bad is it, Donnie?" Leonardo asked.

Donatello ran a hand over his mouth as he took a deep breath. "He has half his memories," he replied. "He remembers names and faces, but that's about it. He doesn't remember past events. He didn't even know I was his brother."

"What does that mean?" Michelangelo asked.

"He thinks he's part of a species of humanoid turtles," Donatello answered. "He believes he is the only child of Marissa and Edward Carison."

"Is there anyway of getting his original memories back?" Leonardo asked.

Klunk shook his head. "The only way is back on Xarus," he said. "And I...kinda...sorta...broke the portal generator."

The brothers looked at him. "What?" Leonardo and Donatello exclaimed.

"Why?" Michelangelo asked.

"So no one could use it to conquer the multiverse," Klunk told them. "Which would you rather: A brother who can only remember bits and pieces of his life, or a burned out husk of the city you took it upon yourselves to protect?"

"Neither," Donatello answered stiffly.

"Klunk did the right thing," Splinter said from his place on the couch. "He may not remember much of what has happened over the years, but at least Raphael is alive and well. Those of the Xarus council must not be allowed to take to the stars. If they do, then countless innocent lives will be lost."

Donatello squirmed on his feet. "But what about Raph?" he asked.

Splinter turned from the television to look at his sons, his eyes falling on Klunk as he spoke. "Do not worry, Donatello. I am sure that an answer will present itself when the time is right."

* * *

The computer terminal lit up, causing Zian to smile. Her hard work had finally paid off. Footsteps echoed off the walls as someone approached. Zian turned to see the High Council walk up.

"The generator is working again, High Councilman," Zian announced. "Unfortunately, all the coordinates have been lost...except for one."

"Which one?" Zai asked.

Zian took a deep breath before answering. "New York City," she replied.

Zai smirked darkly. "Well, by all means then; let's go get the rest of them back."

* * *

That's it for this story. Hope you enjoyed it.

Reviews are welcome, flames are not


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